Double blind comparison between iohexol and metrizoate in phlebography of the lower limb.

A new, non-ionic low osmolar contrast medium, iohexol 240 mg I/ml, has been tested in a randomized double blind parallel investigation versus meglumine-Ca metrizoate 200 mg I/ml. The study was performed to evaluate the suitability of the contrast medium in phlebography. No post-phlebographic complications were seen in the 24 patients examined with iohexol 240 mg I/ml or in 8 patients examined with iohexol 300 mg I/ml. In the 19 patients examined with metrizoate 200 mg I/ml, 7 had a post-phlebographic thrombotic complication (37%). The radiographic image quality was not significantly different between the two contrast media, neither were the immediate side effects during contrast injections. It has thus been shown that iohexol is a suitable contrast medium in phlebography of the lower limb and that it is preferable to conventional contrast media.