Carotid angiography is a procedure in which the physician examines your carotid artery, an artery in your neck that supplies blood to the brain.  The physician uses a catheter (a long flexible tube) to put dye in the artery and takes x-rays to help identify any problems.

This procedure may be done for the following reasons:

• To look for blockage or narrowing of the artery.
• To look for defects in the artery wall, such as an aneurysm (a weak spot).

The physician may do a carotid ultrasound first.  A carotid ultrasound is a safe, painless procedure in which sound waves are used to create a picture of the artery and its contents.  In some cases, the results of the ultrasound eliminate the need to have carotid angiography.