Excretory urography with glucagon: a randomized trial.

The authors compared the effect of glucagon (1 mg I.V.) and a placebo on visualization of the collecting systems and ureters in 185 adults undergoing routine excretory urography. Either glucagon or the placebo was given 10 minutes after contrast injection in the first 95 patients and 5 minutes after contrast injection in the remaining 90 patients. Ampules were randomized. Objective and subjective analysis showed no improvement in visualization of either the collecting systems or the ureters in either group: in fact, glucagon caused the quality of the urograms to decrease significantly. Possible reasons for this are discussed. No side effects attributable to the glucagon were observed.