Cardiac catheterization is a highly complex invasive procedure that is used to know the anatomy of the arteries of the heart, measure the pressures of the heart cavities, or take cardiac biopsies to diagnose certain diseases.
The procedure is performed by inserting thin-caliber catheters (tubes) (about 2 mm), through the radial artery at the wrist site, or sometimes through the femoral artery at the groin level.

Cardiac catheterization, in addition to serving as a diagnostic tool, can also be used to perform treatments for some heart diseases, among which can be mentioned:

Closure of congenital defects by intravascular prostheses or within the chambers of the heart (see more).

Percutaneous coronary angioplasty using stents (see more).

Closure of blood vessels or ducts that do not close at birth or abnormally generate communication in different places (see more).

Implant prostheses in patients whose aortic valve cannot or do not want to undergo cardiac surgery (see more).