SUMMARYIV‐DSA has a place in modern angiography but it is a high contrast dose examination and rather unsuitable for many of the patients currently selected for it. Claims that it is non‐invasive, quick, simple and safe are also open to question. Intra‐arterial DSA, however, appears to possess many of the merits claimed for IV‐DSA. The conclusion to draw is not that there is no place for IV‐DSA but, rather, that we should be considerably more discriminating in our choice of patients to undergo the procedure.ABSTRACTThe parameters determining image quality in digital subtraction angiography (DSA) are outlined and a discussion of the relative merits of intravenous and intra‐arterial DSA i