Df. Martin et al., Diagnostic quality in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: Comparison between Iodixanol and Iopromide, ENDOSCOPY, 32(10), 2000, pp. 783-787
Background and Study Aims: The contrast medium for endoscopic retrograde ch
olangiopancreatography (ERCP) must produce adequate images, whilst keeping
the risk of complications to a minimum. There is a theoretical reason to su
ppose that a dimeric isosmolar medium may be superior to a monomeric hypero
smolar medium. We have compared two such media in a triple-centre double-bl
ind randomized study on patients referred with a clinical indication for ER
CP.
Patients and Methods: A total of 160 patients were randomly allocated to ei
ther Iodixanol or Iopromide, Assessments were made of the quality of images
and the complications encountered.
Results: A total of 151 patients were evaluated. Apart from a trend towards
better diagnostic quality for main pancreatic duct imaging with Iodixanol,
there were no differences between the two groups. The overall frequencies
of adverse events were similar.
Conclusions: Iodixanol is a safe and effective water-soluble contrast mediu
m for ERCP, comparable to Iopromide, but despite theoretical advantages Iod
ixanol has no clear practical benefit.