Iopentol (trade name Imagopaque) is a pharmaceutical drug that was used as a

radiocontrast agent Radiocontrast agents are substances used to enhance the visibility of internal structures in X-ray-based imaging techniques such as computed tomography (contrast CT), projectional radiography, and fluoroscopy. Radiocontrast agents are typically iod ...

for

X-ray imaging Radiography is an imaging technology, imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical ("diagnostic" radiog ...

in Europe.

Medical uses

Uses included

arteriography Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside, or lumen (anatomy), lumen, of blood vessels and organs of the body, with particular interest in the artery, arteries, veins, and the Heart#Chambers, heart ...

(imaging of

arteries An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

venography Venography (also called phlebography or ascending phlebography) is a procedure in which an X-ray of the veins, a venogram, is taken after a special dye is injected into the bone marrow or veins. The dye has to be injected constantly via a cathete ...

(imaging of the

veins Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and fetal c ...

) and

CT scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

enhancement,

urography Pyelogram (or pyelography or urography) is a form of imaging of the renal pelvis and ureter. Types include: * Intravenous pyelogram – In which a contrast solution is introduced through a vein into the circulatory system. * Retrograde pyelogra ...

(imaging of the

urinary system The human urinary system, also known as the urinary tract or renal system, consists of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, bladder, and the urethra. The purpose of the urinary system is to eliminate waste from the body, regulate blood volume ...

arthrography An arthrogram is a series of images of a joint after injection of a contrast medium, usually done by fluoroscopy or MRI. The injection is normally done under a local anesthetic such as Novocain or lidocaine. The radiologist or radiographer perfor ...

(imaging of the joints),

endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a technique that combines the use of endoscopy An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior ...

(ERCP; imaging of

bile Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), also known as gall, is a yellow-green/misty green fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is primarily composed of water, is pro ...

and

pancreatic duct The pancreatic duct or duct of Wirsung (also, the major pancreatic duct due to the existence of an accessory pancreatic duct) is a duct joining the pancreas to the common bile duct. This supplies it with pancreatic juice from the exocrine pancre ...

hysterosalpingography Hysterosalpingography (HSG), also known as uterosalpingography, is a radiology, radiologic procedure to investigate the shape of the uterine cavity and the shape and patency of the fallopian tubes. It is a special x-ray procedure using Contrast ...

(imaging of the

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...

and

fallopian tubes The fallopian tubes, also known as uterine tubes, oviducts or salpinges (: salpinx), are paired tubular sex organs in the human female body that stretch from the ovaries to the uterus. The fallopian tubes are part of the female reproductive sy ...

), and

gastrointestinal The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

studies. It can be injected into blood vessels or body cavities or given

by mouth Oral administration is a route of administration whereby a substance is taken through the Human mouth, mouth, swallowed, and then processed via the digestive system. This is a common route of administration for many medications. Oral administ ...

Contraindications

Hysterosalpingography is contraindicated during acute inflammation in the

pelvic region The pelvis (: pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of an Anatomy, anatomical Trunk (anatomy), trunk, between the human abdomen, abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also c ...

Adverse effects

Adverse effects include

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...

, vomiting, headache, as well as low or high blood pressure or heart rate. Allergy-like reactions such as rashes are usually mild; glottal

edema Edema (American English), also spelled oedema (British English), and also known as fluid retention, swelling, dropsy and hydropsy, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. S ...

shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Healthcare * Acute stress reaction, also known as psychological or mental shock ** Shell shock, soldiers' reaction to battle trauma * Circulatory shock, a medical emergency ** Cardiogenic shock, resulting from ...

and

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

are rare.

Interactions

Iodine-131 Iodine-131 (131I, I-131) is an important radioisotope of iodine discovered by Glenn Seaborg and John Livingood in 1938 at the University of California, Berkeley. It has a radioactive decay half-life of about eight days. It is associated with nu ...

, a radioactive

isotope Isotopes are distinct nuclear species (or ''nuclides'') of the same chemical element. They have the same atomic number (number of protons in their Atomic nucleus, nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemica ...

used for thyroid imaging (

scintigraphy Scintigraphy (from Latin ''scintilla'', "spark"), also known as a gamma scan, is a diagnostic test in nuclear medicine, where radioisotopes attached to drugs that travel to a specific organ or tissue (radiopharmaceuticals) are taken internally a ...

) and therapy of

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck, ...

s, can be less effective when used within two to six weeks after application of iopentol because of residual

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

in the body.

Pharmacology

Chemistry and mechanism of action

Iopentol is an iodine-containing, water-soluble radiocontrast agent. The iodine atoms readily absorb

X-rays An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

, resulting in a higher contrast of X-ray images. It has a low

osmolality In chemistry, molality is a measure of the amount of solute in a solution relative to a given mass of solvent. This contrasts with the definition of ''molarity'' which is based on a given volume of solution. A commonly used unit for molality is ...

, meaning that the solution has a relatively low concentration of molecules; this is usually associated with fewer adverse effects than high-osmolality contrast agents. A phase III

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

concluded that iopentol produces images of a similarly high quality as

iohexol Iohexol, sold under the trade name Iodaque among others, is a contrast agent used for X-ray imaging. This includes when visualizing arteries, veins, ventricles of the brain, the urinary system, and joints, as well as during computed tomograph ...

, and that it is equally well tolerated by patients.

Pharmacokinetics

After intravenous injection, iopentol is distributed in the

extracellular space Extracellular space refers to the part of a multicellular organism outside the cells, usually taken to be outside the plasma membranes, and occupied by fluid. This is distinguished from intracellular space, which is inside the cells. The composit ...

. Its binding to

plasma protein Plasma proteins, sometimes referred to as blood proteins, are proteins present in blood plasma. They perform many different functions, including transport of hormones, vitamins and minerals in activity and functioning of the immune system. Other b ...

s is very low. The substance is not metabolized, but excreted in unchanged form via the kidneys, exclusively by

glomerular filtration ''Glomerulus'' (; : glomeruli) is a common term used in anatomy to describe globular structures of entwined vessels, fibers, or neurons. ''Glomerulus'' is the diminutive of the Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the I ...

. Only 2% are excreted in the faeces. The

biological half-life Biological half-life (elimination half-life, pharmacological half-life) is the time taken for concentration of a drug, biological substance (such as a medication) to decrease from its maximum concentration (chemistry), concentration (Cmax (pharm ...

is two hours.

References

{{Contrast media Radiocontrast agents Benzamides Acetanilides Iodobenzene derivatives