In a left heart catheterization, the catheter typically travels from which sequence?

• A. femoral artery → aorta → coronary arteries → aortic valve → left ventricle
• B. femoral vein → IVC → right atrium → tricuspid valve → right ventricle
• C. carotid artery → aorta → coronary arteries → mitral valve → left ventricle
• D. radial artery → aorta → pulmonary artery → right ventricle

Answer: (A)

For left heart catheterization, the path uses arterial access and proceeds up to the aorta, then into the coronary arteries to image them, and finally across the aortic valve into the left ventricle to measure LV pressures or perform LV angiography. This sequence—arterial access to the aorta, selective engagement of the coronary ostia, then crossing the aortic valve to reach the left ventricle—fits the goals of left-sided assessment.

The other routes describe venous access and right-heart pathways or start from arteries not typically used to reach the left ventricle directly, so they don’t reflect the standard left heart study route.