Pain during angiography: a randomized double-blind trial comparing ioxaglate and diatrizoate

We performed a randomized, double-blind prospective study comparing pain experienced during peripheral and aortic angiography with two different contrast agents. Sixty patients, receiving a total of 107 injections, were randomized to receive either ioxaglate (Hexabrix) or sodium-meglumine diatrizoate (Renografin-76). Subjects scored the pain they experienced on a 10-point visual analog scale, and the physician also scored their discomfort on a five point scale. Hemodynamic parameters were monitored during the procedure in all patients, and subsequent hematology, serum chemistry, and urinalysis were performed in 19 of the 60 patients. There was a significant reduction in the degree of pain experienced by the Ioxaglate group compared to the reference group (p less than 0.001). The patients in the Hexabrix group had a mean pain score of 1.3 compared to the patients in the Renografin-76 group who had a mean pain score of 6.1. The two groups did not differ in their hemodynamic responses to the contrast agents, and no significant differences were noted in the subsequent laboratory measures.