After a Cerebral Angiogram

What to expect after a cerebral angiogram, including recovery, monitoring, home care, restrictions, and obtaining results.

What happens after the exam?

You will be monitored by a nurse for a few hours after the angiogram. If the access site was the groin you will be instructed to lie flat for a variable length of time (typically over 1 hour but less than 6 hours). The nursing staff will carry out regular observations, including checking your groin site and foot pulses. You should be able to eat and drink on returning to the ward, but please check with nursing staff first. Sometimes patients experience some bruising around the groin. This is nothing to worry about and will fade over a few days.

Most people can go home on the same day as the procedure. It is not advised to use public transport after you’ve had an angiogram in case you feel unwell, so it’s important that you make arrangements for someone to collect you from the ward and take you home by car.

What should I do when I return home?

You should make advance arrangements for someone to stay with you for 24 hours after you get home. To avoid provoking bleeding at the access site avoid strenuous activities such as heavy lifting, running and cycling for 1 week. Do not operate machinery or drive for 48 hours.

When will I receive the results?

Sometimes the doctor can tell you at the end of the procedure. It is not unusual, however, for it to be necessary for the images to be analysed on a computer before they can be interpreted. In this case the final results will be delivered later at a clinic attendance or over the phone.