Effects of non-ionic contrast media on the blood flow through the femoral artery of the dog.

Abstract

The injection of angiographic contrast media into the femoral artery is followed by an increased blood flow through the artery ascribed to vasodilatation. From results gained in experiments on dogs (HILAL 1966) and cats (LINDGREN et coll. 1967, 1968) it has been concluded that this vasodilatation is to some extent caused by the hypertonicity, relative to plasma, of the angiographic contrast medium. In the research laboratories of Nyegaard & Co. a group of non-ionic, water-soluble contrast media has been synthetized. These new compounds are, among others, characterized by their low osmolality when compared in iodine equivalent concentrations to the angiographic media of today. The present investigation was performed to find out whether the reduced osmolality of the non-ionic contrast media was accompanied by a reduced vasodilatory effect following injection into the femoral artery.