Complications of cerebral angiography. Comparing metrizamide (Amipaque) and meglumine metrizoate (Isopaque Cerebral).

The complications of cerebral angiography have been carefully recorded in 308 patients referred for cerebral angiography during one year, 1977--1978. The patients were randomly sampled for metrizamide or meglumine metrizoate as contrast medium according to a code list, and the two contrast media were compared using a double blind technique. The frequency of complications was the same for metrizamide and meglumine metrizoate. Metrizamide had the advantage that it caused no discomfort in selective external carotid angiography, while this was a problem with meglumine metrizoate. The study seemed to indicate that factors other than toxicity of the contrast medium are of major importance to explain the complications of cerebral angiography.