Clinical use of digital subtraction angiography

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed on 111 clinical cases, and its usefulness was evaluated. The imaging quality of intracranial lesions was generally better than that of conventional angiography. For cervical lesions, this method revealed arteriosclerotic changes, particularly stenosis and obstruction, in high incidence, showing its usefulness as a screening method. In thoracic lesions, pulmonary arteries and veins were well revealed. In an abdominal region, DSA was useful in detecting lesions of large vessels such as abdominal aorta, if some measure are taken for reducing diaphragmatic movement breathing and abdominal movement due to included gas. With extremities, DSA cannot provide a whole image of the vessels by one scan. However, cases after surgery for aortic obstruction, artificial vascular replacement, and cases of false aneurysm were good indication to DSA. (Ueda, J.)