Study of Efficacy and Morbidity in

A double-blind study was conducted in 60 patients undergoing either cervical or more complete myelography via C1-C2 puncture. Patients received either iohexol or metri-zamide at a 300 mg Ilml concentration. The contrast media were equally efficacious in the production of high-quality radiographs and CT scans. However, the incidence of adverse reactions differed markedly. Of patients receiving metrizamide, 68 % had some type of adverse reaction, whereas only 26 % receiving iohexol had symptoms. The incidence of headache (metrizamide, 34%; iohexol, 26%) was not statistically different, but the quality of the headache differed: half of the metrizamide headaches were moderate or severe, whereas all iohexol headaches were mild. Nausea (31%) and vomiting (28%) were common with metrizamide but unusual (3 % nausea) with iohexol. Of the metrizamide patients, 21 % had overt psychologic changes that did not occur in the iohexol group. lohexol is a new, non ionic contrast medium that was developed in hopes of decreasing the morbidity of myelography associated with water-soluble contrast agents. An open trial of iohexol for cervical myelography via a C1-C2 puncture