1 Indications for Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization

Goals

The goals of cardiac catheterization are

Imaging and hemodynamic evaluation of valvular, myocardial,
and pericardial diseases

Imaging of morphological changes of the coronary arteries and the vessels in close proximity to the heart

With a few exceptions, hemodynamic parameters measured during cardiac catheterization are those under resting conditions. They do not replace noninvasive cardiac functional testing, which, in the case of coronary artery disease, allows assessment of the hemodynamic significance of a stenosis diagnosed by angiography. There are also numerous complementary methodologies available for invasive hemodynamic quantification of coronary and valvular pathologies, which are predominantly performed with pharmacological stimulation or provocation.

Cardiac catheterizations are, in practice, performed for a variety of clinical reasons. However, the primary indication is for cardiac disease (most frequently coronary artery disease, CAD) that requires surgical or interventional treatment (Table 1.1).

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