Abdominal angiography with stereoscopic magnification

A new technique for stereoscopic magnification angiography has been developed and combined with routine abdominal angiography. The technique utilizes two divergent x-ray beams at a 34° angle, with a 3.5 cm focal spot separation at a 94 cm focalfilm distance, produced by a synchronous arc rotation of a microfocus x-ray tube. The synchronous motion of the tube is maintained by using an electromechanical device. A magnification factor of 2.0 to 3.0 is used, and 12 films are exposed in a series, the fastest sequence being 1.5 films per second. This technique provides the advantages of magnification and stereoscopic angiography, with excellent demonstration of small arterial branches and abnormal vascularity in three dimensions.     

Biplane stereoscopic magnification cerebral angiography

An angiographic system capable of simultaneous biplane stereoscopic magnification cerebral angiography was evaluated. Stereoscopic imaging improved the morphologic depiction of aneurysms and of arteriovenous malformations. In a series of 357 patients, procedure time was reduced because the initial biplane stereoscopic series was nearly always diagnostic, obviating the need for additional angiographic views.     

Subselective magnification angiography of experimental pneumonia

An experiment was designed to determine whether or not acute pneumococcal pneumonia in dogs is associated with intravascular thrombosis, or with angiographic features distinguishable from pulmonary embolism. In dogs with normal baseline chest radiographs and perfusion scans, pneumonia was produced by transbronchial instillation of type III pneumococcus. After 2 days, perfusion scans demonstrated discrete appropriate defects. In vivo magnification pulmonary arteriography, postmortem pulmonary arteriography, and histologic examination disclosed no evidence of thrombi.     

Serial cerebral angiography in stereoscopic magnification.

A ceiling x-ray tube support with synchronous up and down movements is described for obtaining two parallel x-ray beams with a short focal-film distance. Stereoscopic cerebral angiography is performed with direct serial magnification using a heavy-duty anode tube with a 0.1 mm focus. This technique combines the advantages of magnification and stereoscopic angiography. Small arterial and venous changes can be observed clearly in three dimensions. The usefulness and limitations of this method are discussed using clinical and experimental data.     

Minimum blood vessel diameter measured by magnification angiography.

Visibility of small blood vessels was improved by magnification angiography of biologic specimens. Blood vessel diameter was determined for increasing magnifications by various screen-film combination. Significantly smaller vessels were recognized with the magnification technique in all screen combinations. Noisy screen-film combinations with better square wave transfer functions did not allow visualization of blood vessels as small as those screen-film combinations with poorer square wave transfer functions but less noise.