Computerized Tomographic Angiography, also called CT Angiography or CTA, is a diagnostic exam that combines the technology of a conventional CT scan with that of traditional angiography to create detailed images of the blood vessels in the body.

In a CT scan, x-rays and computers create images that show cross-sections, or slices, of your body. Angiography involves the injection of contrast dye into a large blood vessel, usually in your leg, to help visualize the blood vessels and the blood flow within them. When the contrast dye is used to visualize your veins, the study is called a venogram, and when it is used to visualize your arteries, it is known as an arteriogram.

Your medical provider may recommend a CT angiography to help diagnose:

• a narrowing or obstruction of the arteries
• an aneurysm
• deep vein thrombosis
• pulmonary embolism
• or another vascular condition.

The most common benefit to undergoing CT angiography is that it may eliminate the need for surgery. If surgery remains necessary, the secondary benefit is that your surgery can be performed with a higher level of accuracy.

CT angiography is able to detect narrowing or obstruction of blood vessels allowing for potentially corrective therapy to be done. CT angiography may give more precise anatomical detail than Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), particularly in small blood vessels.

CT angiography is similar to a CT scan, but the contrast dye is injected into one of your veins shortly before the x-ray image is performed. Because the dye is injected into a vein rather than into an artery, as in traditional angiography, CT angiography could be considered less invasive.

CT exams are generally painless, fast and easy. With multidetector CT, the amount of time that the patient needs to lie still is reduced. The scanner is approximately 24 inches wide. Therefore, the majority of your body will be “outside” the scanner.

Typically, a CT angiography takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes to complete.