Abstract
BACKGROUND: The advent of Spiral Computed Tomographic (CT) angiography has provided the patients a non-invasive, accurate and fast modality of imaging the vasculature. METHODS: Spiral CT angiography was performed in 30 patients to evaluate intracranial circulation using standard protocols of data acquisition. The images were processed and reconstructed in 3-dimension to delineate anatomy and pathology accurately. RESULTS: The study established that CT angiography is an accurate modality for evaluating the intracranial circulation in a variety of abnormalities. It is safe both in terms of being non-invasive and exposure to radiation. It has a distinct advantage over other non-invasive modalities of imaging like MRI in the evaluation of patients with metallic stents and clips. CONCLUSION: CT angiography has tremendous potential in imaging the intracranial vasculature. It is unquestionably safer than catheter angiography as it avoids arterial puncture and intra-arterial catheter manipulation. It is fast and capable of producing excellent 3-dimensional images of the intracranial vasculature.