Cardiac catheterization is a specialized procedure to evaluate cardiac anatomy and function.
The catheter is positioned in the heart utilizing X-ray guidance. X-ray dye may be injected selectively into certain cardiac chambers to allow visualization of the chamber and thus a determination of its function. Injections in the heart chambers may also be used in conjunction with pressure measurements from within the heart to determine how well heart valves are working. The major purpose of cardiac catheterization in most cases in the United States today is to define precisely the heart artery anatomy. Precise determination of the heart artery anatomy in conjunction with knowledge of the patient's clinical presentation and symptoms as well as overall heart function aides the physician in determining different types of treatments.