Are there different kinds of intravenous dyes?
There are many different kinds and different brands. There are two main categories of iodinated dye for intravenous injection, high osmolarity contrast agents and low osmolarity contrast agents, so called HOCA and LOCA, respectively. The HOCA dyes are the older of the two and are inexpensive ($5-$10 per study). LOCA dyes are relatively new on the scene. They are much more expensive ($50 or so per study) but are somewhat better tolerated.
