Hepatic angiography.

Improved techniques provide ready angiographic access to the hepatic artery and portal and hepatic venous systems with relatively little morbidity. While the indications for angiographic procedures are more restrictive than for noninvasive studies such as computer-assisted tomography, ultrasonography and radionuclide scanning, these procedures play a definite role in specific diagnostic situations, such as the evaluation of portal hypertension and variceal bleeding, intrahepatic mass lesions, abdominal trauma, and suspected hepatic venous occlusion (Budd-Chiari syndrome). Various angiographic techniques are also useful in achieving the occlusion of bleeding esophageal varices and the arterial supply of hepatic malignant lesions.