Radiology, Vol 167, 409-413, Copyright © 1988 by Radiological Society of North America
Double-blind study of a new nonionic contrast agent for cardiac angiography
K Reagan, MA Bettman, J Finkelstein, P Ganz and CJ Grassi
Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
A randomized, double-blind study of a new nonionic contrast agent
(ioversol) was performed in 80 patients undergoing routine coronary
angiography and left ventriculography. Its hemodynamic and
electrocardiographic (ECG) effects were compared with those of a
conventional ionic contrast agent (sodium meglumine diatrizoate). There
were 40 patients in each group. The radiographic quality and incidence of
adverse reactions were comparable for both agents. Following left
ventriculography, there was a smaller decrease in systemic and left
ventricular systolic blood pressure and a smaller increase in heart rate
and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (P less than .05) with ioversol than
with meglumine diatrizoate. There was also a slight decrease in cardiac
output with ioversol at 1 and 3 minutes after left ventriculography, while
meglumine diatrizoate produced a modest increase. In selective coronary
angiography, the fall in diastolic blood pressure was also greater (P less
than .05). The Q-T interval was more prolonged with meglumine diatrizoate.
Ioversol appears to be both safe and efficacious for cardiac angiography,
causing fewer and less severe hemodynamic and ECG alterations than
meglumine diatrizoate.
