A preliminary observation on the protective action of acetazolamide against sodium diatrizoate-induced convulsions in the rabbit

Angiographic contrast agents can produce neurological damage. They have been shown to enter the CSF in proportion to time and dosage. It was therefore decided to look at the effects of acetazolamide, which reduces CSF production by 40 to 50%, on the convulsive dose of intraarterial sodium diatrizoate in rabbits. In doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg i.v. 30 min before the diatrizoate, acetazolamide elevated the convulsive threshold to the latter. Acetazolamide did not protect against convulsions induced by diatrizoate given intracisternally, indicating that its effect is not a direct one on neuronal membranes. This should prove an acceptable approach to lessening the neurological complications of angiography in man.