Positive oral contrast is commonly used in abdominal imaging to outline bowel lumen and routinely used contrast agents include barium, milk and iodine-containing solutions such as amidotrizoic acid (also called diatrizoic acid) (1,2). Patients frequently complain of the unpleasant bitter taste of amidotrizoic acid-containing solutions that are routinely used as positive oral contrast for abdominal and pelvic CT scanning (3). In our region, amidotrizoic acid is the positive oral contrast agent of choice. We compare patient perceptions of two iodine-containing oral contrast agents- amidotrizoic acid...

We obtained full approval from our local Healthcare Research Advisory Committee and Research Ethics Committee for our study. Over a 3 month period, from 1st May to 31st July 2010, patients scheduled for elective CT abdomen with positive oral contrast in 2 centres in our regionwere prospectively recruited to the study. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are outlined in Figure 1. Once informed consent was obtained from patients, they were assigned a study numberand then randomised in adouble-blinded fashion to receive either iodixanol (44mls of 270mg...

In total, 206 patients were recruited, 98 received amidotrizoicacid and 108 received iodixanol. here was a slight female preponderance, as 80 males and 126 females were enrolled (see Figure 1). The patients ranged in age from 22-91, with a mean of 60.6 (Figure 2 shows the age range in years). Gender and age profiles were equivalent in both treatment groups. Mild adverse effects only, most commonly nausea, were reported- by 16 (16.3%) in the diatrizoic acid group and 9 (8.3%) in the iodixanol group (see...

Despite a taste preference for iodixanol, the patient satisfaction with the overall experience of the CT scan was equivalent in both groups. This contradicts our initial premise that the unpleasant taste reported by patients who receive amidotrizoic acid is a significant disagreeable factor effecting their overall impression of the scan. A higher than expected total rate of adverse reactions was observed, which was higher in theamidotrizoic acid group, and although this does not reach statistical significance, this might be due to the low numbers involved....

1. Garrett, P. R., S. L. Meshkov, et al. (1984). "Oral contrast agents in CT of the abdomen." Radiology 153(2): 545-6. 2. Thompson, S. E., V. Raptopoulos, et al. (1999). "Abdominal helical CT: milk as a low-attenuation oral contrast agent." Radiology 211(3): 870-5. 3.Harieaswar, S., A. Rajesh, et al. (2009). "Routine use of positive oral contrast material is not required for oncology patients undergoing follow-up multidetector CT." Radiology 250(1): 246-53. 4. McNamara, M. M., M. E. Lockhart, et al. (2010). "Oral contrast media for body...

Nick Clarke MB BCh MRSCI Bernadette Lynch DCR PGDipCT John Hanson MB BCh FRCR Aidan Quinn MB BCh MSc FRCR Department of Radiology, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co Louth, Ireland Department of Radiology, Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland email:[email protected]