Effect of iopentol on acetylcholinesterase activity and thrombin time. Comparative studies.

Iopentol is a new non-ionic monomeric intravascular radiologic contrast medium which is undergoing clinical trials. Studies on other iodinated contrast media of various chemical structures, both closely similar to and widely different from iopentol, have shown that some in vitro tests of chemotoxicity correlate very well with clinical systemic toxicity. Some of these tests have been carried out on iopentol and are reported here. Comparison has been made in each case both with a conventional ionic contrast medium, sodium iothalamate, and with another well established medium of low toxicity already in use, iohexol. The results indicate that iopentol will have low clinical toxicity.