Intraarterial digital subtraction angiography with carbon dioxide: superior detectability of arteriovenous shunting.

Intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (IADSA) with carbon dioxide (CO2) was performed on 41 patients with liver or renal diseases. CO2 produced no hypersensitivity reactions, and the pain or feeling of warmth was relatively mild compared with iodinated contrast media. Although the image quality of the arterial or capillary phase was inferior to that with iodinated contrast media, the detectability of arteriovenous shunting was excellent. IADSA with CO2 may become an effective method for detecting arteriovenous shunting which cannot be demonstrated with conventional angiography or DSA with iodinated contrast medium.