Low-Dose Fluoroscopy Protocol for Diagnostic Cerebral Angiography

Abstract

Purpose: We applied a low-dose fluoroscopic protocol in routine diagnostic cerebral angiography and evaluated the feasibility of the protocol.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 60 patients who underwent diagnostic cerebral angiography for various neurovascular diseases from September to November 2019. Routine protocols were used for patients in the first phase and low-dose protocols in the second phase. We compared radiation dose, fluoroscopy time, and complications between groups.Results: Age, diseases, and operators were not significantly different between the two groups. The mean fluoroscopy dose significantly decreased by 52% in the low-dose group (3.09 vs. 6.38 Gy·cm² ); however, the total dose was not significantly different between the two groups (34.07 vs. 33.70 Gy·cm² ). The total fluoroscopic time was slightly longer in the low-dose group, but the difference was not statistically significant (12.2. vs. 12.5 minutes). In all patients, angiography was successfully performed without complications.Conclusion: The low-dose fluoroscopy protocol is feasible to apply for diagnostic cerebral angiography in that this protocol could significantly reduce the fluoroscopic dose.