Complications of in-patient cerebral angiography: Comparison between patients with and without sub arachnoid haemorrhage

Objective: To compare complications of cerebral angiography among patients with and without subarachnoid haemorrhage. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised records of patients undergoing inpatient therapeutic and diagnostic cerebral angiographies from 2001 to 2010. The patients were divided into subarachnoid and non-subarachnoid haemorrhage groups. During the study period no modifications were made to the operational protocol and all patients were subjected to the same procedure and prophylactic care. Results: Of the 93 patients, 42(45.2%) were women and 51(54.8%) were men. The overall mean age was 45.27±16.15 years (range: 4-80 years). The comparison between the two groups regarding new onset of neurological deficit was statistically significant (p=0.001). However, the same comparison regarding drop in Glasgow Coma Scale was statistically not significant (p=0.073). Conclusion: The rate of neurological complications was higher in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage.