Iophendylate Examination of Posterior Fossa in Diagnosis of Cerebellopontine Angle Tumors

IOPHENDYLATE (Pantopaque) examination of the posterior fossa has become an invaluable aid in the diagnosis of tumors in the cerebellopontine angle. It is the single most definitive diagnostic procedure available. The safety of iophendylate in the spinal subarachnoid space is well documented1-3and its safety in the posterior fossa subarachnoid space is substantiated by the series of examinations reported in this article. In 727 examinations performed using iophendylate, there have been no serious immediate or delayed complications. The proper use of radiopaque contrast media allows a far more definite outline of the cerebellopontine angle and internal auditory canal than the use of air contrast media. The technique of posterior fossa contrast studies with fluoroscopic guidance has been previously reported by Scanlan.4At that time he reported the use of iophendylate with 100 patients without complications. The same basic method is still being used for the larger tumors. In