If you have peripheral vascular disease—problems with arteries or veins beyond the heart and brain—your doctor may suggest an aortogram to get a better view of your aorta, the main artery that takes oxygenated blood from your heart to the lower body.

During aortography, performed in a hospital, you’ll be mildly sedated while your doctor threads a catheter from your groin or arm into the aorta. The doctor then injects a special dye into the catheter, while X-rays take images to see how the dye moves through the aorta.

An aortogram may reveal possible problems such as:

• Adult congenital heart disease
• Abdominal aneurysm
• Aortic dissection (tear)
• Aortic valve stenosis (narrowed aortic valve opening)
• Inflammation of the aorta, such as Takayasu arteritis
• Narrowed or blocked arteries near the aorta
• Renal artery stenosis (narrowed arteries to the kidneys)

Your doctor may also advise a cardiac CT or MRI to gain further insight into your aorta’s condition.