[Premedication for abdominal sonography--comparison of the efficacy of 2 dimethicone preparations]

Two commercially available preparations of dimethycon with different galenic properties (Paractol flüssig, Sab simplex) were tested for their usefulness as a premedication for abdominal sonography. According to the recommendations of the manufacturers each of 20 patients was pretreated with four different galenic preparations of the two substances that were administered in a randomly assigned sequence. 13 abdominal regions of interest were investigated for visualisation of organs and gas interposition. Both groups of drugs clearly improved the quality of imaging of the abdominal vessels and the epigastric structures, but Paractol proved to have significantly better effects. This is possibly due to a higher dosage of dimethycon in Paractol.