Hazards of straight catheter aortography in the tortuous abdominal aorta

Twenty abdominal aortograms utilizing a straight-tipped catheter were evaluated for catheter tip motion during the injection of contrast media. The catheter tips were stable in 15 patients but showed downward recoil in the remaining 5 patients. These 5 patients had marked tortuosity of their abdominal aortae which was felt to be the etiology of the catheter tip instability. Based on this finding, the use of a straight-tipped catheter is to be discouraged in patients with extreme tortuosity of the abdominal aorta.