Carbon dioxide digital subtraction angiography in oncological-interventional radiology.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work is to demonstrate the usefulness of carbon dioxide, used as contrast agent, in special indications in vascular interventional oncological procedures.


METHODS
We studied 40 patients with digital subtraction angiography enhanced with CO2 as a contrast agent. At the same time we utilized also, in all cases, jodinated contrast agent to evaluate the different opacification gradient, the different viscosity range and the different perfusion.


RESULTS
The low viscosity of CO2 allows demonstration of the presence of even minimal blood losses in gastrointestinal tumors and enhances arteriovenous shunts in hepatocellular carcinoma. Carbon dioxide can also be employed to assess the patency of small-sized catheters for chemotherapy infusion which do not allow easy injection of the traditional iodinated contrast agents characterized by high viscosity.


CONCLUSIONS
Carboangiographic study combined to digital subtraction angiography can clear some diagnostic problems and is further method to assess the outcome of angiographic interventional procedures in oncology.
Garbagnati
F
F
Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Spreafico
C
C
Marchianò
A
A
Frigerio
L F
LF
Patelli
G
G
Gervasoni
M
M
Giovannardi
G
G
Damascelli
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction / Q000379:methods*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000379:methods; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior
D003287:Contrast Media; D002245:Carbon Dioxide