Venous digital subtraction angiography in the evaluation of renovascular hypertension.

The study of renovascular hypertension (R.V.H.) presently requires multiple non invasive examinations in order to select between patients with R.V.H. or other kind of hypertension, before resorting to angiography. The use of venous digital subtraction angiography (V.D.S.A.) may change this diagnostic flow-chart. For this purpose, 100 patients with clinical and laboratory data suspect of R.V.H. underwent V.D.S.A. Compared to angiography, V.D.S.A. showed a 100% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Since the sensitivity and specificity of the non invasive techniques vs. V.D.S.A. in the same series was always lower, V.D.S.A. may be proposed as the first examination in the study of R.V.H. The arterial route for D.S.A. is generally not required for diagnostic purposes.