Complications of cerebral angiography: prospective assessment of risk

A prospective study of 1,517 consecutive cerebral angiographic examinations is reported. The incidence of all complications was 8.5%, and the incidence of all neurologic complications was 2.6%. The overall incidence of permanent neurologic deficit was 0.33%. The incidence of permanent neurologic deficit in patients referred for evaluation of symptomatic cerebrovascular disease was 0.63%. Older age, increased serum creatinine concentration, and the use of more than one catheter all were significantly associated with serious neurologic complications. Although patients with a recent stroke or frequent transient ischemic attacks had a higher incidence of serious neurologic complications, this increase was not statistically significant for this sample.