What is a whole brain angiogram (DSA)?

  Cerebral angiography is a method to diagnose cerebrovascular diseases by injecting iodine-containing contrast agent into the blood vessels through a catheter to visualize the blood vessels, and then clearly displaying the morphology of cerebral blood vessels through DSA machine with rapid and continuous film and photo processing. It is the most advanced cerebrovascular treatment method and the gold standard for the diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases. Cerebral angiography is clinically divided into carotid angiography, vertebral arteriography, whole brain angiography and venous sinus angiography according to the different sites of administration. Cerebral angiography can show both the morphological changes of the vessels themselves, such as dilatation, malformation, spasm, stenosis, infarction and hemorrhage, and the presence or absence of occupancy according to the changes in the location of the vessels. Therefore, it has special significance for the diagnosis of intracranial vascular lesions, and is the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases.