Digital subtraction angiography in infants and children with congenital heart disease.

Digital subtraction angiography was used as the sole imaging technique in 95 infants and children aged 13 hours to 16 years undergoing cardiac catheterisation for the investigation of congenital heart disease. Injections of diluted contrast medium were made selectively at central sites, and the images were obtained using continuous image intensification fluoroscopy at either 32.25 nC/kg/s (125 microR /s) or 129 nC/kg/s (500 microR /s). In all cases images adequate for diagnosis and management were obtained with appreciably less contrast medium and a lower radiation dose than in a comparable group of patients using conventional biplane cineangiography. Thus digital subtraction angiography is a viable alternative to biplane cineangiography for children with congenital heart disease.