Digital subtraction imaging in cardiac investigations.

The role of digital subtraction imaging (DSI) in the investigation of heart disease in patients of all ages, including neonates, was evaluated by the addition of a continuous fluoroscopy system to an existing, single-plane catheterisation laboratory. In some situations, DSI provided diagnostic images where conventional radiography could not and, in general, provided images of comparable quality to cineangiography. The total dose of contrast medium was usually less than that which would have been required for biplane cineangiography and the dose of radiation was always less. Digital subtraction imaging can make a significant contribution to the investigation of congenital heart disease and has some useful features in the study of acquired heart disease.