Antiemetic Treatment Before Oral Contrast Ingestion Does Not Prevent Nausea or Vomiting

Pretreatment with antiemetics did not reduce the severity of nausea, incidence of vomiting, or time to complete ingestion of contrast solution.

Ingestion of oral contrast solution (diatrizoate meglumine) before abdominal computed tomography (CT) enhances visualization of intra-abdominal viscus structures but takes a substantial amount of time and is associated with nausea and vomiting. Pretreatment with antiemetic agents has been shown to prevent or lessen symptoms of nausea associated with chemotherapy or anesthesia; use in patients receiving oral contrast solution has not been studied.

In a prospective, double-blind, randomized trial, researchers randomized 106 adult emergency department patients who were undergoing contrast-enhanced abdominal CT to receive intravenous placebo, metoclopramide (10 mg), or ondansetron (4 mg) 15 minutes before ingestion of oral contrast solution. The…

Reviewing Author

Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose