Iohexol in paediatric myelography. An open non-comparative trial.

Iohexol was introduced by lumbar puncture in a series of 148 consecutive children aged between 5 days and 16 years referred for myelography; no patient was excluded. Initially, iohexol 180 mgI/ml was used in dosage proportional to body weight varying between 5 ml and 15 ml. During the later part of the trial concentration of iodine was increased to 240 mg/ml for cases in which the dorsal region was of particular interest (69 patients) and to 300 mg/ml for 8 cervical studies. The total dose ranged up to 4.8 g and varied between 0.03 g and 0.51 gI/kg body weight. In all patients, neurological examinations were performed before and at 24 h and observations for adverse reactions continued over a period of 48 h. The contrast medium was run up to the foramen magnum or basal cisterns in 128 patients and to the upper dorsal region in the other 20. In the first 62 patients vital studies were performed over the period of the myelogram and for 24 h following, and an additional limited neurological examination was made at 6 h, and in the first 26 cases of the series EEG's were done before and at 24 h after the myelogram. Minor variations in pulse rate and blood pressure were observed but these were not of sufficient magnitude to be of clinical significance. In 7 patients there was minor, generally slow wave abnormality on the EEG taken after the procedure, but no spike or epileptogenic activity was observed. There were no unexpected or severe adverse reactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)