Editing Cardiac catheterization (section)

===Left heart catheterization (LHC)===
[[File:Left Heart Catheter.png|thumb|250px]]
Left heart catheterization (LHC) is an ambiguous term and sometime clarification is required:{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
* LHC can mean measuring the pressures of the left side of the heart.
* LHC can be synonymous with coronary angiography.

technique is also used to assess the amount of occlusion (or blockage) in a coronary artery, often described as a percentage of occlusion. A thin, flexible wire is inserted into either the [[femoral artery]] or the [[radial artery]] and threaded toward the heart until it is in the ascending [[aorta]]. Radial access is not associated with an increased risk of stroke over femoral access.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sirker |first1=Alex |last2=Kwok |first2=Chun Shing |last3=Kotronias |first3=Rafail |last4=Bagur |first4=Rodrigo |last5=Bertrand |first5=Olivier |last6=Butler |first6=Robert |last7=Berry |first7=Colin |last8=Nolan |first8=James |last9=Oldroyd |first9=Keith |date=November 2016 |title=Influence of access site choice for cardiac catheterization on risk of adverse neurological events: A systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=American Heart Journal |volume=181 |pages=107–119 |doi=10.1016/j.ahj.2016.06.027 |issn=1097-6744 |pmid=27823682 |url=http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/1987/1/Manuscript%20Am%20Heart%20J%2015June2016.doc|url-access=subscription }}</ref> At this point, a catheter is guided over the wire into the ascending aorta, where it can be maneuvered into the coronary arteries through the coronary ostia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=The cardiac catheterization handbook |others=Kern, Morton J.,, Sorajja, Paul,, Lim, Michael J. |isbn=9780323341554 |edition=Sixth |location=Philadelphia, PA|oclc=910964299 |last1 = Kern |first1 = Morton J. |last2=Sorajja |first2=Paul |last3=Lim |first3=Michael J. |date=2015-06-01}}</ref> In this position, the interventional cardiologist can inject contrast and visualize the flow through the vessel. If necessary, the physician can utilize percutaneous coronary intervention techniques, including the use of a [[stent]] (either bare-metal or [[Drug-eluting stent|drug-eluting]]) to open the blocked vessel and restore appropriate blood flow. In general, occlusions greater than 70% of the width of the vessel lumen are thought to require intervention. However, in cases where multiple vessels are blocked (so-called "three-vessel disease"), the interventional cardiologist may opt instead to refer the patient to a cardiothoracic surgeon for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG; see [[Coronary artery bypass surgery]]) surgery.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}