Translumbar aortography: a study of its safety and usefulness

D. E. Szilagyi, R. F. Smith, J. P. Elliott Jr and J. H. Hageman

We reviewed that clinical courses of 14,550 patients in whom translumbar aortography was performed. The principal aim of the survey was to determine the incidence of major and fatal complications attributable to this diagnostic study, as an index of its safety. We found that in this group, seven major (0.05%) and two fatal (0.014%) complications occurred. The corresponding incidences for transfemoral catheter aortography reported in the literature were found to be 1.34% and 0.06%, respectively. Translumbar aortography, when performed under the proper indications and appropriate conditions, has a degree of safety equal to or greater than that of transfemoral catheter aortography, and its diagnostic reliability within its technical scope is high.