Percutaneous radial artery approach for coronary angiography

Percutaneous entry into the distal radial artery and selective coronarography using a French 5 sheath and preshaded catheters were attempted in 100 patients with a normal Allen test. Cannulation of the radial artery was not possible in ten patients, and selective catheterization of the coronary arteries was unsuccessful in two. Manipulation of catheters presented no problem, and arterial spasm was rarely observed, only before the use of a 23-cm-long sheath. Only two complications without symptoms were observed: arterial dissection of the brachial artery in one patient and occlusion of the radial artery in another. With experience, this approach may become as effective and possibly safer than the transbrachial entry.