New radiopaque polyHEMA-based hydrogel particles.

New iodine-containing polymeric hydrogel particles were prepared by suspension radical copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 3-(methacryloylamidoacetamido)-2,4,6-triiodobenzoic acid (MABA) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) in an aqueous medium using azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator and magnesium hydroxide as a suspension stabilizer. To impart porosity to the product, cyclohexanol and 1-dodecanol were added as inert diluents to the polymerization mixture. Particles containing 27 wt % iodine produced radiopacity sufficient to observe a clearly visible X-ray image. The equilibrium swelling behavior of the particles in water was characterized. Swelling of the particles dramatically increased by converting the acid groups of MABA into their Na+ form. The more MABA the copolymer particle contain, the higher is their swelling in the Na+ form.