Iotrolan versus iopamidol: a controlled, multicenter, double-blind study of lumbar and direct cervical myelography.

Iotrolan is a new nonionic, dimeric contrast medium that is distinguished by its special physicochemical and low chemotoxic properties. It displays near isotonicity with blood and cerebrospinal fluid in all clinically used concentrations (190, 240, and 300 mg I/ml). The controlled, double-blind study of iotrolan versus iopamidol presented here shows that iotrolan is significantly superior to the monomeric contrast medium in lumbar and direct cervical myelography. Use of the dimeric contrast medium reduced not only the incidence of side effects, but also their severity and duration. The chemotoxicity of contrast media commonly used was significantly less with iotrolan in all neuroradiologic diagnostic studies of the spine. The diagnostic quality of lumbar and direct cervical myelography with iotrolan was high. In this randomized, double-blind study versus iopamidol, iotrolan proved to be the safer and better myelographic agent for contrast studies of the spinal canal.