ORAL CONTRAST AGENTS FOR CT - A TASTE TEST SURVEY

Purpose: Our goal was to evaluate the palatability of the currently av ailable oral contrast agents for CT. Method: We surveyed 202 adults (9 2 women and 110 men) with a mean age of 59 years. Each participant sam pled five or eight products. The participants ingested 1 oz. of each p roduct and recorded an overall score, taking into account the factors of palatability that were important to them. Scores were marked on a v isual analog rating scale with 0 representing ''dislike a lot'' and 10 representing ''like a lot.'' Results: The following mean palatability scores were obtained: Gastrografin mixed with Tropical Punch Kool-Aid 8.2; Scan C 5.7; Cheetah 4.7; Readi-Cat 4.4; E-Z-Cat 4.0; Tomo-Cat 3. 6, Prep-Cat 3.5; Bare-Cat 3.2; Lipomul mixed with water 3.1. Conclusio n: Statistical cluster analysis suggested the following groupings of t he products (i.e., products with statistically similar scores grouped together): Cluster 1-Kool-Aid with Gastrografin; Cluster 2-Scan C, Che etah, Readi-Cat; Cluster 3-E-Z-Cat, Tomo-Cat, Prep-Cat, Bare-Cat, Lipo mul.