ABSTRACT
The history of angiography began only a few months after the discovery of x-rays in 1895 by Roentgen, when contrast agents too toxic for human use were being injected into cadavers, severed limbs, and animals. The next major developments came in the late 1920s, when percutaneous translumbar aortography and cerebral angiography were described by the Portuguese surgeons Dos Santos and Moniz, respectively. Contrast agents were now less toxic, and clinically useful angiography was a reality. In 1953, Seldinger described his technique for percutaneous vascular catheterization,[1] which formed the basis of many catheterization techniques to follow. In the 1970s the development of less invasive methods such as computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound decreased the indications for diagnostic angiography. Vascular imaging progressed rapidly in the 1990s with the addition of color Doppler ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is now producing images of striking clarity and resolution.
