UNC Invasive Cardiology Services

To learn more about invasive cardiology at the UNC Center for Heart and Vascular Care, click on the links below.

Interventional Cardiology

Advanced Hemodynamics

Hemodynamics at UNC is used to assess several cardiovascular conditions, including valvular heart disease, damaged heart muscles, thickened heart muscles, and congenital heart disease. Read more.

Intracardiac Echocardiography

The use of intracardiac echo at UNC makes heart-imaging procedures much easier on the patient. Read more.

UNC has been a leader in IVUS technology for many years, and was one of the first hospitals to install the technology now used in more than half of all ultrasounds in the United States (Volcano Technology with Virtual Histology). Read more.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

At UNC, our first goal is always to prevent the progression of cardiovascular disease before stents become necessary. Read more.

Vascular Interventions

Carotid Artery Disease

UNC specialists have increasingly turned to less-invasive carotid stenting for treating carotid artery disease. Read more.

Peripheral Artery Angiography & Intervention

UNC has advanced imaging capabilities (angiography) that allow us to detect impaired blood flow throughout the body. Read more.

Invasive Diagnostic Procedures

Cardiac Biopsies

UNC performs several hundred cardiac biopsies each year, and offers distinct advantages for patients who undergo the procedure, including having well-trained, qualified pathologists on staff who are highly skilled at interpreting the results. Read more.

Pericardiocentesis

UNC is one of the very few hospitals where the percutaneous procedure is done with ultrasound guidance, which provides several key advantages over x-rays. Read more.

Vasodilator Challenges

At UNC we use vasodilators—medications that dilate arteries and veins – as a safe and effective way to measure blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Read more.