[Value of rapid acquisition cadences synchronized with the electrocardiogram for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism by digital subtraction angiography].

Pulmonary digital subtraction angiography was performed in 130 patients referred with possible pulmonary emboli. Findings were interpreted as a function of apparatus used (acquisition cadence, size of matrix, ECG synchronization) and of site of injection (peripheral or central). It now appears possible to diagnose pulmonary embolism with satisfactory reliability in 80 to 85% of cases. This examination is safe (absence of selective catheterization of pulmonary artery), and it could become a standard emergency diagnostic procedure for pulmonary embolic disease.