Cardiovascular response during cerebral angiography under general and local anaesthesia

Nineteen patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage who had cerebral angiography with the new contrast medium iohexol, were randomly allocated to receive either local anaesthesia plus sedation, or general anaesthesia. Arterial blood pressure, PaO2, PaCO2 and patient acceptability were examined. Significant fluctuations in arterial blood pressure occurred in the patients who received general anaesthesia. Local anaesthesia was associated with a stable blood blood pressure, adequate spontaneous ventilation and good patient acceptability. The quality of films obtained was examined and found to be of good or very good diagnostic quality in all cases in both groups of patients. Greater use of local anaesthesia with sedation for angiography is recommended.