Neurologic complications of angiography for cerebrovascular disease.

A recent study reported a 12.2% incidence of cerebral complications (5.2% permanent) after cerebral angiography in 147 patients. Because this was markedly different from our experience, we initiated a retrospective study of 301 patients who had undergone cerebral angiography for hemisphere transient ischemia or amaurosis fugax. There was only a 1.3% rate of transient complications (none permanent) in our patients. The benefits of cerebral angiography in patients with suspected cerebrovascular occlusive disease overwhelm the small potential risk of the procedure.