Cerebral angiography is a procedure that uses a special dye
(contrast material) and x-rays to see how blood flows through
the brain. Vertebral angiogram; Angiography - head; Carotid
angiogram How the test is performed Cerebral angiography is done
in the hospital or large radiology center. You will be asked to
lie on an x-ray table. Your head is positioned and held still
using a strap, tape, or sandbags, so you do not move during the
procedure. The health care provider will attach
electrocardiogram (ECG) leads to your arms and legs, which
monitor your heart activity during the test. Before the test
starts, you will be given a mild sedative to help you relax. An
area of your body, usually the groin, is cleaned and numbed with
a local numbing medicine (anesthetic). A thin, hollow tube
called a catheter is placed through an artery and carefully
moved up through the main blood vessels in the belly area and
chest and into an artery in the neck. Moving x-ray images help
the doctor position the catheter. Once the cat