THE IMMEDIATE AND LATE EFFECTS OF THE INTRATHECAL INJECTION OF IODIZED OIL

Abstract

Although generally recognized as a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis of lesions of the spinal cord, myelography by means of iodized oil¹has been criticized on three scores, namely that it is irritating to the spinal meninges, that it may not demonstrate early lesions and that occasionally it shows a block where no lesion can be found at operation. The first of these, the irritating effect, has been emphasized more than the other objections.²The majority of reports have stressed the immediate reactions, but a few have mentioned delayed deleterious effects from the injected iodized oil. The increased use of myelography with iodized oil as a diagnostic aid in the sciatic syndrome has made imperative a comprehensive examination of the immediate and late effects of the intrathecal injection of iodized oil. In order to assess these reactions, we reviewed all the cases at the University of Chicago Clinics