CONTRAST-MEDIA LEAKAGE TO THE CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID AFTER INTRAVENOUS-INJECTION - COMPARISON OF STROKE PATIENTS AND CONTROLS

We have tested a method to evaluate leakage of i.v. injected contrast media (CM) through the 3 partitions between blood and cerebrospinal fl uid (CSF) in controls and in patients with acute cerebrovascular disea se (ACBVD) to detect differences between normal brains and brains with ischemic lesions. High-osmolar (HOCM) and low-osmolar (LOCM) CM were used. In 55 patients and in 41 controls who underwent CT after i.v. co ntrast administration, lumbar CSF was collected 1 hour after injection and the iodine content in the CSF was measured. The concentration of iodine in CSF was very low, between 0.57 and 11.20 ng/l, and no signif icant difference could be found between patients and controls or betwe en HOCM and LOCM. We conclude that under the conditions mentioned abov e, iodine detected in the human lumbar CSF does not reflect the true l eakage of contrast agent through the blood-brain barrier.