Contrast media: quantitative criteria for designing compounds with low toxicity.

Toxicity of contrast media that are ionized iodobenzoic acids or their derivatives is highly correlated with lipid solubility, as measured by the octanol/water partition coefficient. New contrast media have been designed with lower lipid solubility than media in current use, taking into account the additive-constitutive nature of the partition coefficient of an organic compound. If these contrast media are chemically stable, they should also be less toxic. It remains to be tested whether the relation between clinical toxicity and lipid solubility applies to non-ionized contrast media as well.