Lower limb arteriography

Lower limb arteriography is an examination that shows the inside of the leg arteries. An iodinated contrast dye is injected into the artery through a thin catheter, and X-ray images show in real time how the blood flows, where the arteries are narrowed (stenoses) and where they are blocked (occlusions). The examination takes place in the catheterisation laboratory under local anaesthesia. The doctor punctures an artery, usually in the groin and sometimes at the wrist, then advances the catheter under X-ray guidance. There is no incision: only a small puncture mark remains at the end. Today, Doppler ultrasound and CT scanning are often enough to make the diagnosis. Arteriography is mainly offered when treatment is being considered: it provides a very precise map of the arteries and, if needed and planned in advance, allows the artery to be widened during the same session. At Clinique Pasteur Tunis, arteriography is performed in a latest-generation catheterisation laboratory by a team experienced in endovascular procedures, with appropriate monitoring afterwards.