An Improved Technic for Percutaneous Cerebral Angiography

CEREBRAL angiography can be performed by open surgical procedure, with direct injection of the common carotid artery, or by percutaneous needle puncture of the carotid artery. The open technic is time consuming, is a surgical procedure and leaves an unsightly scar. The percutaneous method also has disadvantages, such as the possibility of the injection of opaque medium into the perivascular tissues and the danger of manipulating the head while the needle is in the artery. One of us (D. C. D.) thought these disadvantages of the percutaneous technic could be overcome and devised the following modification: With the patient on a fluoroscopic table, and after the usual preparation for a minor surgical procedure, the common carotid artery is palpated, and the point of maximum pulsation is found. With the use of local anesthesia, percutaneous puncture of the artery is performed. We have been using a 3 inch, 17 gage Huber