Procreation after death or mental incompetence: medical advance or technology gone awry?

PURPOSE: To study the feasibility of using an iodinated particulate contrast agent, iodipamide ethyl ester (IDE), for angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IDE at doses of 40-100 mg of iodine per kilogram was diluted to a total volume of 5-20 mL and used for digital subtraction angiography in nine dogs under general anesthesia. Equivalent images were obtained by using water-soluble contrast medium (WSCM) for comparison (iohexol) in seven animals. All images were reviewed by blinded reviewers and graded subjectively on a five-point scale. RESULTS: Angiographic studies of multiple vascular territories performed with IDE yielded images of slightly lower overall quality compared with images obtained with WSCM (P = .14, Mann-Whitney U test). Arterial phase images were subjectively superior with WSCM when compared with IDE (P < .0001, chi 2.) Depiction of the corresponding veins during the venous phase on the IDE angiograms was superior to that on WSCM angiograms in 12 of 21 cases, although this did not reach statistical significance (P > .05 chi 2). Images of the renal vein and portal vein achieved with IDE were graded as superior to those achieved with WSCM in eight of 10 reviews. CONCLUSION: Angiography is feasible with IDE. Compared with WSCM, IDE produced images of lesser quality during the arterial phase, but of equal or superior quality in the venous phase depending on the vessel studied. Because it is excreted slowly in bile and is isotonic, it may prove useful in patients with renal insufficiency, diabetes, multiple myeloma, or severe coronary disease.