Carbon dioxide as an angioscopic medium. Comparison to various methods of saline delivery

The limitations of angiography, when it is used as the sole method of vascular assessment, are increasingly apparent as vascular intervention becomes more sophisticated. Angioscopy could be an adjunctive diagnostic modality by differentiating among thrombus, dissection, and atheroma, and by monitoring the response to therapy. However, angioscopy requires a blood-free field for adequate visibility, and this may be difficult to obtain. The feasibility of carbon dioxide (CO2) and various saline delivery methods for clarifying the viewing field for percutaneous angioscopy was investigated. Angioscopy of femoral and iliac arteries on nine dogs was performed. Saline was infused by hand injection, pressure bag infusion, or mechanical power injection, and CO2 gas was injected using a special gas injector. The clarity of the viewing field was graded for each medium and method. Excellent quality antegrade femoral angioscopy was obtained with CO2. The superiority of CO2 injection in comparison with power-injected saline approached statistical significance (P = .06). Power-injected CO2 and power saline were superior to hand-injected or pressure bag-injected saline for maintaining sufficient visibility. Retrograde iliac angioscopy was possible without inflow occlusion, but required high flow rates (only possible with power-injected saline or CO2). CO2 injected under controlled circumstances holds promise as a medium to improve angioscopic visibility.