Fluoroangiography

What is fluoroangiography?

Fluoroangiography is a diagnostic method for retinal disorders. It is based on photography with a special camera, after a dye (fluorescein) is injected intravenously . This dye is capable of showing us the vessels; as it passes through them, the photographs are taken. If there is leakage of the dye, then there is damage in the vessel and our ophthalmologist can understand and diagnose disorders related to our fundus and its vessels.

When is fluoroangiography done?

It is done when there's suspicion of a retinal disorder, during an eye exam. It is done when a disorder is diagnosed and the doctor is looking for its extension and its real dimensions. This test is also ordered when we want to monitor the progress of a disorder or the outcome of a treatment.

  The disorders for which fluoroangiography is more often asked are diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. The goal is to know the extension of the damage and the existence or not of pathological neovascularization in order to proceed or not to laser treatment. There are other retinal disorders for which we can do a fluoroangiography and are related to auto-immune, degenerative and hereditary diseases of the fundus of the eye.

What is digital fluoroangiography?

Computers today allow us to do a digital analysis of the test; in place of the special camera and film, we now have more advanced devices for photographs and images, a computer and a printer, so that pictures can be printed immediately. The advantage is that we don't have to wait for the film to develop, the analysis of the image is instant and better and, depending on the damage, we can interfere and repair it with laser, if needed.

With these digital systems, we are capable of doing another test, angiography with indocyanine green (ICG). This method is the same except for the change of dye (indocyanine). It is used in rarer cases and only when some damage is suspected that doesn't show up in fluoroangiography.

Are there complications from this test?

Generally, there aren't. The patient that will undergo the test, will see his complexion having a yellow hue from the dye, while his urine will be darker for the next 24 hours. This is considered normal and the patient should not be worried.

Contraindications include heart, kidney and liver diseases, pregnancy etc. In those cases and if the test is necessary, the ophthalmologist consults with doctors of other specialties and an ECG is done.

What we should know is that fluoroangiography is a very frequent test, while its complications are rare.

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