Abstract
Intravenous contrast media have been used for contrast enhancement at the time of CT scanning. Concentrations of such agents in blood have been measured by various methods in an attempt to know how to maintain their blood levels and also to investigate the relationship between their blood levels and the degree of enhancement of lesions. We investigated the feasibility of a simplified method for the quantitative determination of the concentration in body fluids of contrast agents, the ultraviolet absorption method, in which blood samples are measured for the concentration of meglumine iothalamate (Conray) at 3 different wavelengths with correction made for absorbency of impurities. This assay method was found to be convenient and very useful as a means of determining serum levels, but with a questionable accuracy of measurement of low concentrations. However, by using deproteinized sera its accuracy was improved to the level of conventionally used ultraviolet absorption methods. This assay method is simple, reliable and clinically useful and might reasonably be applicable to the quantitative determination of contrast media.
