An attempt at coronary angiography with a large size monochromatic SR beam

The number of patients due to ischemic heart disease seems to be growing rapidly in Japan. Coronary angiography by Judkins' or Soncs' method is very invasive as is well known and thus imposes a burden on patients and physicians. The K-edge subtraction technique is considered to be applicable to intravenous angiography of coronary arteries. A feasibility study of K-edge subtraction with monochromatized SR has been initiated at Photon Factory since 1984. In 1985, a real time observation of intravenous angiography of a cat, utilizing a monochromatic beam with a size of 64 mm by 55 mm, was performed. This paper describes some results of our preliminary experiments and our future systems of clinical application.