How to confirm artery blockage before surgery?
Patient: Hi, may I answer your health queries right now ?  Please type your query here...my brother is advised to do the bypass surgery by next month. He has a 90% block in his artery.Another block was there in a major vessel . But it was cleared by an angeoplasty.  My question is that before doing the surgery  will the DR do any test to cnfirm that whether the blocks are still there or not.So many people are praying for him.So we hope that God might have done the mirracle.Except angeogram any other test  is there to cnfirm the block. Doctor: hello Thanks for posting at HCM According to your description, he has critical blockages in the heart of which one has been stented earlier. I suppose more than one artery is involved (or the left main artery is involved) that's why your doctor has asked to go for a bypass. There are other non invasive methods like CT angiography to detect blockages in the heart. But of all that an angiography is the most important and gives the maximum information. No doctor will operate on a patient without doing an angiography at first. Further, a bypass surgery also has good results these days. It will take about 7- 10 days stay in the hospital and after  that a month for recovery at home. But the long term effects of bypass are very good and he may not require another procedure for next 10-15 years. He has got significant blockages in the heart. So please don't go searching after other options and go ahead with the bypass surgery. Thanks for posting here.Regards