Intraarterial digital subtraction arteriographic evaluation of extremity tumors: comparison with conventional arteriography.

Conventional arteriography and intraarterial digital subtraction arteriography (IADSA) were compared in 36 patients with primary bone or soft-tissue tumors of the extremities. The sensitivity of IADSA was at least equal to conventional arteriography for demonstrating normal or abnormal major arteries and feeding arteries, equal to or superior for depicting tumor stains or draining veins, but slightly inferior for revealing minute tumor vessels. An increase of the matrix size from 256 X 256 to 512 X 512 improved these sensitivities. IADSA with 15% diatrizoate contrast material eliminated the contrast material-induced pain in all patients. With a computer-controlled iris setting, an average of 5 minutes of procedure time and 1.7 R of radiation (0.44 mC kg) per examination could be saved. IADSA reduced the cost of an examination by an average of $67. The results indicate that IADSA was diagnostic in all instances and can replace conventional arteriography for the evaluation of extremity tumors.