Low-dose, high-frame-rate versus regular-dose, low-frame-rate digital subtraction angiography.

Using intravenous digital subtraction angiography for carotid, cerebral, and renal arteries, a comparison was made between a single pulsed image and an integrated image composed of several pulsed images. The single image was generated with a conventional detected dose per frame while the frames composing the integrated image were generated at a lower dose per frame but at a higher frame rate. Comparisons were made for an equivalent detected dose per image. For relatively stationary arteries, the integrated images were equivalent or superior to the single images. When patient motion was present, or if pulsatile vessel motion was significant, the single image was better than the integrated image. A low-dose, high-frame-rate technique has the potential for furnishing physiologic data in addition to high-quality morphologic information.