ABSTRACT
Precise knowledge of contrast kinetics is essential in the proper design and clinical use of contrast agents and is important in the evaluation of normal and abnormal physiologic function and the clinical pharmacology of contrast media. Numerous studies have analyzed the pharmacokinetics of contrast agents in order to better understand basic physiologic mechanisms underlying the clinical usefulness of these drugs. Thus, a major potential role existed for the new technology of fluorescent excitation analysis (FEA) because it can perform rapid, accurate, nondestructive quantitation of radiographic contrast media in unprepared biological samples. FEA also has applications in the analysis of body distribution as well as excretion kinetics of both established and new radiographic contrast media for Computed tomography scanning. The usefulness of quantitative FEA technology is attested to by the number of research centers using the technology for quantitation of iodinated contrast media and for tracing other heavy elements in both experimental and clinical settings.
