Radiology, Vol 153, 649-654, Copyright © 1984 by Radiological Society of North America
Pediatric digital subtraction angiography
GM Amundson, RL Wesenberg, DL Mueller and RH Reid
Experience with intravenous digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in
infants and children is limited, although its relative ease of performance,
low complication rate, and diagnostic accuracy indicate great potential. We
performed 87 DSA examinations (74 patients) and obtained sufficient detail
to facilitate diagnosis in most cases. The major problems of patient
movement and overlapping vessels can be minimized by judicious use of
sedation and strict attention to technique. Exposure of patients to
radiation has not been a limiting factor since our system uses low exposure
factors (2-38 mR [.51-9.76 mu C/kg]/frame). Our results demonstrate that
DSA has wide applicability to many organ systems and is especially useful
in intracranial disease and for preoperative evaluation of neoplasms. More
specific indications for its use in children must await further correlative
studies.
