Omnipaque is a low-osmolar, nonionic, contrast medium with a broad range of indications, for example intravascular diagnostic procedures such as coronary angiography, spinal cord imaging, and body cavity procedures including shoulder and knee joints. Omnipaque is approved for use in adults and children, and is available in a wide variety of packagings.

See also Nonionic Contrast Agents.

Omnipaque (iohexol) is a nonionic, low-osmolar contrast agent and is also available for oral use, offering gastrointestinal (GI) visualization with minimal side effects. Omnipaque has a neutral taste that even kids will drink.
Orally administered iohexol is poorly absorbed from the normal gastrointestinal tract. Omnipaque is well tolerated and absorbed if leakage into the peritoneal cavity occurs.
The recommended dosage of undiluted Omnipaque (at a concentration of for example 350 mg/mL) for computed tomography of the abdomen in adults is 500 mL to 1000 mL, diluted to concentrations of 6 mg/mL to 9 mg/mL. The oral dose should be administered about 20 to 40 minutes prior to the CT scan.

GE Healthcare is the result of the merger between GE Medical and Amersham Health in Nov. 2004, after GE acquired Amersham Health for 9.5 billion in Oct. 2003. Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive of General Electric, said, 'Amersham's diagnostic pharmaceutical and life sciences business will add new, high growth platforms to GE Medical's diagnostic imaging, services and health care information technology businesses'. GE Healthcare, a UK company, is a unit of General Electric (NYSE: GE). GE Healthcare is a global leader in medical imaging, diagnostic imaging agents, interventional procedures, health care services, and information technology. For more than 100 years, health care providers have relied on GE Medical Systems, now GE Healthcare, for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. GE Healthcare, headquartered now at the formerly seat of Amersham Healthcare in Great Britain, operates facilities around the world. Global Operations include organizations on the Americas, Europe, and Asia, including India, Japan, Korea China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Nonionic monomers are used as x-ray contrast agents. To create a nonionic monomer, the tri-iodinated benzene ring is made water soluble by the addition of hydrophilic hydroxyl groups to organic side chains (CM ratio=3). Nonionic monomers have an intermediate osmolarity, intermediate viscosity and elevated hydrophilicity with three atoms of iodine per molecule. Lacking a carboxyl group, nonionic monomers do not ionize in solution. A nonionic monomer is potentially less chemotoxic than an ionic monomer.
Common nonionic monomers are iohexol (Omnipaque), iopamidol (Isovue®), ioversol (Optiray®), and iopromide (Ultravist®). Nonionic monomers are contrast agents with a wide range of indications due to their nonionic nature and lower osmolalities.