CORRECT POSITIONING FOR CARDIAC ANGIOGRAPHY - INSIGHTS FROM MRI

The recommended angiographic projections for optimally demonstrating v arious cardiac structures vary, and do not always achieve their aim. T o determine the most appropriate radiographic projections to optimally demonstrate cardiac structures, we reviewed the orientations of major cardiac structures and the associated great vessels, as demonstrated by axial MRI. Measurements were made from 187 MRI examinations of the heart. These measurements confirmed that the optimum angiographic proj ections for various cardiac structures are at variance with a number o f the recommended views. Recommendations for the angiographic projecti ons most likely to provide optimum display of various cardiac structur es and associated great vessels in different patient populations are p resented. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.