RadioGraphics, Vol 15, 1299-1310, Copyright © 1995 by Radiological Society of North America
Arteriography and interventional therapy for diseases of the hand
LA Loring and MJ Hallisey
Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Hartford Hospital, CT 06106, USA.
Because the vessels of the hand are small and very responsive to stimuli,
arteriography of the hand requires painstaking technique, temperature
control, and sometimes vasodilator administration to produce sufficient
radiographic detail. Twenty-five patients underwent arteriography of the
hand, which was performed from a transfemoral approach to evaluate
pathologic changes and the possibility of interventional treatment.
Production of high-quality images by means of attention to technical
factors particular to the hand permitted recognition of radiographic detail
essential to diagnosis. Twelve patients had a history of trauma, and five
patients had congenital lesions. In eight patients, atherosclerotic,
vasospastic, or embolic arterio-occlusive disease was diagnosed.
Interventional radiologic procedures such as thrombolysis, therapeutic
embolization, and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty are important
adjuvant or primary management options. Angiography of vascular hand
lesions can yield high- quality diagnostic images when technical factors
and physiologic variables are maximized. Differentiation between traumatic,
congenital, and occlusive lesions is then possible.
