Acute cardiac tolerance of current contrast media and the new taxane protaxel using iopromide as carrier during porcine coronary angiography and stenting.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

The systemic tolerance thresholds of modern low-osmolar x-ray contrast media (CM) are similarly high, but their effects on the cardiovascular system and on the coagulation differ. The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the cardiovascular tolerability of iopromide, ioxaglate, and iosmin, and of a novel taxane protaxel, dissolved in iopromide, as a carrier, by coronary angiography and stenting.

METHODS

Sixteen pigs were randomized into four groups: iosmin (350 mg iodine/mL, n = 4, nonionic dimer), iopromide (370 mg iodine/mL, n = 4, nonionic monomer), ioxaglate (320 mg iodine/mL, n = 4, ionic dimer), and 70-micromol protaxel dissolved in iopromide 370 mg iodine/mL, intended to prevent restenosis. Coronary angiography was performed via the left carotid artery followed by implantation of stents into the left anterior descending and the circumflex arteries. About 80 mL per animal was used in each group.

RESULTS

There were no thrombotic complications and no significant adverse events of electrocardiography, blood pressure, or contractility during or after CM injections. There were no differences among the CM tested except that ioxaglate was the only agent showing a significant reduction in dp/dt after 50 seconds compared to iosmin. The values of preinjection parameters were most rapidly regained after iosmin, compared with other CM tested.

CONCLUSIONS

The novel iso-osmolar nonionic CM iosmin is well tolerated in porcine coronary angiography and subsequent stenting. The cardiac tolerance of iopromide has not been adversely affected by addition of the cytostatic protaxel.