Intrathecal tolerance of metrizamide in chloralose anesthetized cats

• Published in: Investigative radiology Vol. 11; no. 3; p. 182
• Main Authors: Piwonka, R W, Healey, J F, Rosenberg, F J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-05-1976
• Subjects: Anesthesia; Animals; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Cats; Chloralose; Contrast Media - administration & dosage; Contrast Media - toxicity; Female; Heart Rate - drug effects; Injections, Spinal; Iodobenzoates - toxicity; Iothalamate Meglumine - toxicity; Male; Metrizamide - administration & dosage; Metrizamide - toxicity; Respiration - drug effects; Seizures - chemically induced; Subarachnoid Space
• ISSN: 0020-9996
• DOI: 10.1097/00004424-197605000-00005

The water soluble radiopaque medium, metrizamide (Amipaque) was introduced into the lumbar subarachnoid space in chloralose anesthetized cats at a standard volume of 0.35 cc/kg in concentrations of 300 mgI/cc to 500 mgI/cc during EMG recording. These animals did not differ from controls which received cerebrospinal fluid under otherwise identical conditions; both groups usually showed some mild and occasional muscle fasciculations or mild spasms. Treatment with metrizamide appeared to be a less deleterious procedure than that using hyperosmotic sucrose (1.32 M) as judged from EMG records. In contrast, equivalent amounts of neglumine iothalamate produced frank convulsions in 7 of 15 cases and a range of hyperirritability in the remaining 8.