[Transvenous cardiography and pulmonalis angiography for differentiating between pathologic mediastinal shadows...

A technique of contrast-medium radiology of cardiac cavities and the great vessels without catheter is described. The contrast-medium (30 ml) is injected rapidly and bilaterally into the cubital veins. This is sufficient to differentiate between pathologic changes in the mediastinum of vascular of non-vascular origin and between pericardial effusion and myogenous cardiac dilation. The effectiveness of this not demanding technique is discussed on 4 cases. The risks of this investigation are not greater than those of any other method using larger amounts of contrast medium without general anesthesia.