What does coronary angiography primarily visualize?

Coronary angiography is a medical procedure used to visualize the coronary arteries, which are the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle. This technique involves the injection of a contrast dye into the coronary arteries, followed by imaging, typically through X-ray, to see how blood flows through these vessels.

The primary aim of coronary angiography is to identify blockages or narrowing in the arteries that can lead to coronary artery disease, heart attacks, or other serious cardiovascular conditions. By providing a clear view of the heart’s blood vessels, this procedure is crucial for diagnosing various heart diseases and can guide subsequent treatment options, such as angioplasty or stent placement.

Other options, while relevant to heart health, focus on different aspects that are not the primary objective of coronary angiography. For instance, assessing heart muscle function pertains to echocardiography or cardiac MRI, examining heart valves relates to different imaging studies, and evaluating the electrical activity of the heart is done through an electrocardiogram (ECG). Therefore, the primary visualization achieved through coronary angiography is indeed focused on the heart's blood vessels.