Understanding the basic concepts of CO2 angiography

ZANNOLI, ROMANO
ROSSI, PIER LUCA
CORAZZA, IVAN
Bianchini, David
Caridi, James G.

Publication date

January 2016

DOI

Abstract

The diagnostic quality of carbon dioxide angiography depends both on optimal setting of radiological aspects (X-ray emission and image post-processing) and on the mechanical behavior of the injected gas bubbles. The gas behavior differs in large cavities (d>12 mm), medium sized vessels (d>6 mm), and small diameter vessels (d<6mm): to optimize the result the operator has to adapt his action to the physical rules governing the phenomenon in the particular situation. In most cases, it is impossible to fill a vessel completely with gas, and to obtain an adequate angiogram, the gas volume and injection pressure must be properly selected, patient’s position must be adjusted and radiological image optimization algorithms, like Digital Subtr...