[Value of digital subtraction angiography in cerebrovascular diseases].

Digital Angiography was done on 1 000 patients with cerebral vascular diseases at the cervical or cerebral level. This was done by intravenous injection in 800 cases and by intra-arterial injection in 200 cases. The study of the cervical carotid bifurcation is favorably compared to the one obtained by the conventional arteriography. The intracranial aneurysms of 1 centimeter are well visualized and this method is valid to eliminate a giant aneurysm before transsphenoidal surgery. The digital angiography also allows the study of venous and sinus malformations. The postoperative controls of the aneurysms, carotid endarterectomies and extra-intracranial bypass are perfectly shown and can be repeated. The comparative study between the intravenous digital angiography and the conventional angiography have shown a good correlation between both tests in 80% of the cases. This rate can be risen by intra-arterial injection. It is a non-invasive method, reliable and economical with very little complications. This test can be done on an external basis and repeated if necessary. The disadvantages are the overlapping of the vessels, the necessity of the strict immobilisation of the head and the difficulty of evaluating the vessels whose diameter is inferior to 1 mm.