Leg pain after coronary angiography

[danguy]

Hello,

Prior to the surgery (scheduled to the end of February), I had coronary angiography two months ago. Now I still have pain in the right leg. Anyone had the same problem?

 

[epstns]

Did you have any complications from the angiogram? My wife ended up with a DVT (deep-vein-thrombosis) at the entry site after an angiogram. She had lots of discomfort for a while afterward.

I, on the other hand, had a completely "normal" pre-surgery angiogram experience. Slight discomfort for a couple of days, then back to normal.

 

[newmitral]

Hello danguy,

While not exactly the same problem, I had something similar. I had bacterial endocarditis that attacked my heart valve and required emergency surgery. I was kept alive with an arterial pump for several days until they could perform the valve replacement OHS. After the surgery, my right foot was in substantial pain. I had no significant pain from the heart surgery, but my foot was never right. While in the hospital recovering from the OHS, because I complained about the foot pain, they did an ultrasound and an X-ray of my leg/foot, but did not find anything, and dismissed it as some sort of sprained foot.

Even after months of recovery from the OHS, I could not walk more than a block without the pain in my foot and calf in my right leg becoming excruciating. I raised this issue with my cardiologist at my 3 month post-surgery checkup, and he scheduled me to see a vein specialist. The vein specialist did a test called an Ankle Brachial Pressure Index (ABI) where the blood pressure is measured at various points in both arms and legs. This test clearly showed a blockage in my right leg just below the knee. It turns out, there was a a blockage in the artery of my right leg with a mycotic aneurysm caused by the bacterial vegetation from the endocarditis breaking off and traveling to the artery in my leg, blocking blood flow to my lower right leg and foot.

I eventually had to have a second surgery on my right leg to take part of the saphenous vein from my right thigh and bypass the blocked artery in my lower leg to get proper blood flow restored.

Since you indicate you have not yet had the heart surgery, only a coronary angiography, it is possible that you have either slight damage to the artery from the catheter insertion, or possibly some plaque was dislodged and has caused blockage in your leg.

I would ask to see a vein specialist and have the ABI test performed to see if there is indeed any indication of any arterial blockage. If so, they can locate the trouble spot and take whatever action would be required.

Good luck.

 

[Tirone]

Hi danguy

Where is that pain? In the groin or more distal? Did it come suddenly or was it there constantly? Was your wound red? Any history of thrombosis?

Your pain might come from many different causes. I wouldn't worry too much, but would try to consult a physician.

 

[danguy]

The problem is, I cannot locate it. Sometimes it is at the knee, sometimes at the ankle, sometimes in the thigh area. Its severity also varies.

I don't know if I had complications. After I was returned from the operating room, the doctor hadn't approached me, only the nurse.

 

[Tirone]

If you're bothered by this pain, what my impression is, you should consult a physician. An exact history of your symptoms and an inspection of your leg might help find the cause of the problem and treat it.
I'm just brain-storming but what I would expect after two months is most likely an irritation of a nerve in the groin region which can lead to such problems. Such an irritation can be caused by a hematoma which is now in organization and (depending on the size) will disappear by itself within weeks. An ultrasound examination could clarify this.

 

[Sarah_Louise]

Hi Danguy,
Do you have a lump from where they went in?
I had a pericutaneous pulmonary valve replacement done in September, (they went through femoral artery and veins to replace my pulmonary valve) after the op my legs (they used both of them) where agony, they thought it was just due to the problems i had pre op with my legs (had problems with clots and needed 2 emergency surgery's to save my legs) but turned out i had a pseudo-aneurysm, i was struggling to walk on my left leg and i had a pulsating lump as there was significant blood flow, (looked like the ying yang sign on the ultrasound lol) where they had gone in, ended up needing to go to theater to have it clotted, but i was a big pseudoaneurysm complicated by me being on heparin,
Hope your find a resolution soon
sarah xxxx