Determination of glomerular filtration rate with Visipaque in patients with severely reduced renal function

Iodixanol (Visipaque, Nycomed Imaging AS, Oslo, Norway), and isotonic, dimeric and non-ionic contrast medium (CM), and iohexol (Omnipaque, Nycomed Imaging AS, Oslo, Norway), a low-osmolar, monomeric and non-ionic contrast medium, were used as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) markers in patients with severely impaired renal function. Different methods for determining GFR were compared. A total of 16 patients with s-creatinine > 400 mumol/l were enrolled in the study; 8 in each CM group. Serum-iodine was measured, and plasma CM clearance was determined using the Bröchner-Mortensen method, the single-sample method and conventional method. The ratios between the results obtained from the conventional method and each of the two other methods were calculated. These data were plotted against the mean of the pairs compared, and the upper and lower limits of agreement were calculated as the mean ratio +/- 2SD. The comparison showed a high degree of agreement between methods, and the two simpler methods seem to be good alternatives to the conventional method, which gave good estimates of GFR (vs that determined by means of renal 125I-iothalamate clearance) when 24-h blood samples were included. However, slight overestimations of GFR, due to extrarenal excretion of the CM, were observed. In summary, serum clearance of iodixanol, as determined by the Bröchner-Mortensen method or single-sample method seems to be a simple and accurate marker for GFR in patients with severely reduced renal function. The findings obtained with iodixanol were similar to those obtained with iohexol.