Quality improvement guidelines for adult diagnostic neuroangiography

Neuroangiography is a safe and effective technique for evaluating various i ntracranial and extracranial disorders. The diagnostic information obtained by neuroangiography, combined with other clinical and noninvasive imaging findings, can be used to plan or evaluate results of treatment. Participation by the angiographer in preprocedural selection, intraprocedur al monitoring, and postprocedural follow-up and management of the patient i s an integral part of neuroangiography and will increase the success rate o f the procedure. These guidelines have been written for use in institution-wide quality impr ovement programs to assess the practice of neuroangiography. The most impor tant processes of care are 1) patient selection, preparation, and education ; 2) procedural performance; and 3) patient monitoring. The outcome measure s or indicators for these processes are indications, success rates, and com plication rates. Outcome measures are assigned threshold levels.