Bowel opacification for abdominal computed tomography in children: a clinical trial of oral Telebrix 38

Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen is an important diagnostic tool for detecting abnormalities of the solid organs and, to a lesser extent, the gastrointestinal tract. For an optimal CT study, the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts should be opacified with oral and intravenous radiopaque contrast agents. The authors tested the effectiveness of dilute oral meglumine and sodium ioxithalamate (Telebrix 38, Mallinckrodt Canada Inc., Pointe-Claire, Que.) as a bowel marker in 50 CT examinations of the abdomen and pelvis. The study objective was assessment of patient acceptance, safety of the product, degree of bowel opacification and image quality. Of children who were capable of answering the question, 93% said they would be willing to take the 2% oral solution of Telebrix again if required. No adverse effect attributable to the contrast medium was noted. Opacification of the gastrointestinal tract was excellent in the majority of cases, and the diagnostic quality of the CT images was good. The authors concluded that 2% Telebrix is an effective and safe bowel opacification agent for abdominal and pelvic CT scanning.