the gastrointestinal tract). It is given orally or by enema to image the gastrointestinal tract. It is given by Foley catheter to image the urinary tract. Contraindications A history of sensitivity to iodine is not a contraindication to using diatrizoate, although it suggests caution in use of the agent. In this case, a regimen of oral or intravenous corticosteroids may be given as prophylaxis, or an alternative such as barium sulfate may be preferable. Gastrografin is contraindicated to use along with certain medications that can cause lactic acidosis, such as metformin. Concurrent use may lead to kidney failure and lactic acidosis, and a clinician may need to space the agents apart over a number of days to prevent an interaction. Gastrografin is a hypertonic solution, and therefore it should be avoided in imaging studies of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients who are at risk of aspiration, as it will cause prompt pulmonary edema if accidentally introduced into the tracheobronchial tree. Urografin is not to be used for myelography, ventriculography or cisternography, since it is likely to provoke neurotoxic symptoms in these examinations. Chemistry Diatrizoate is considered a high-osmolality contrast agent. Its osmolality ranges from approximately 1500 mOsm/kg (50% solution) to over 2000 mOsm/kg (76% solution). Brand names Brand names include Hypaque, Gastrografin, MD-Gastroview, Iothalmate, and Urografin. Urografin is a combination of the sodium and meglumine salts. References External links Anthelmintics Iodoarenes Benzoic acids Radiocontrast agents World Health Organization essential medicines Acetanilides Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate