Blood pool and liver enhancement in CT with liposomal lodixanol: Comparison with lohexol

The authors compared the time course and blood pool and hepatic enhancement of three different doses of liposomal iodixanol with those of iohexol. A liposomal iodixanol formulation was prepared with 200 mg of iodine per milliliter total and 80 mg of iodine per milliliter encapsulated. Twelve normal New Zealand white rabbits divided into four groups received 75-, 100-, or 150-mg encapsulated iodine per kilogram doses of liposomal iodixanol or 2 mL/kg iohexol with 300 mg of iodine per milliliter. A liver section was scanned with serial computed tomography (CT) before the injection, immediately afterward, and at 1-minute intervals for 10 minutes. Region-of-interest measurements of the aorta and liver were plotted at each time point, and contrast enhancement was plotted as a function of time and iodine dose. All liposomal iodixanol doses produced greater liver enhancement than iohexol. Results were significant ( P