Phantom evaluation of angiographer performance using low frame rate acquisition fluoroscopy

The authors have investigated the effect of 5 frames/s television fluoroscopy on the time required to selectively catheterize five test arteries in an angiographic phantom. Here, 5 frames/s acquisition was accomplished by sampling frames from a 30 frames/s video signal. Sampled frames were stored in a video memory which provided continuous display to the fluoroscopist between samples. The test phantom was a plastic model of an aorta with branching vessels immersed in an isodense suspension of barium in water. For four of the five vessels there was no significant difference in time required for catheter placement between 30 frames/s and 5 frames/s.