UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, MA, provides diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization procedures in a single location, so you have convenient access to the latest imaging services, equipment and facilities.
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We perform more than 7,000 cardiac catheterization procedures each year which means a high rate of success for our patients.
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Diagnostic cardiac catheterization (also called cardiac cath or coronary angiogram) allows your doctor to see how well your heart and blood vessels are functioning.
The test involves inserting a long, narrow tube, called a catheter, into a blood vessel in your leg, and guiding it to your heart with the aid of a special machine.
Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization
Diagnostic cardiac catheterization enables your doctor to evaluate your heart function. It can help:
- Evaluate or confirm coronary artery disease, valve disease or disease of the aorta
- Evaluate heart muscle function
- Determine if further treatment such as an interventional procedure or coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG, surgery is needed
Interventional Cardiac Catheterization
Interventional cardiac catheterization is a nonsurgical treatment used to open narrowed coronary arteries to improve blood flow to the heart. It can be performed during a diagnostic cardiac catheterization when a blockage is identified, or scheduled at a later time.
Interventional cardiac catheterization procedures include:
- Balloon angioplasty
- Balloon angioplasty with stenting
- Stenting
- Rotablation (percutaneous transluminal rotational atherectomy or PTRA)
- Atrial septal defect (ASD)/patent foraman ovale (PFO) closure