Myelogram Preparation

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St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
Dept. of Imaging Services
(207)777-8482

• Please arrange for a ride home after your myelogram
• Drink extra fluids the day before
• No solid foods from midnight on, if myelogram is scheduled for the morning.
• Drink extra fluids (no caffeine) up to 2 hours before exam.
• 2 hours before exam – NPO (If medications needed, take only with swallow of water.)
• Please arrive 45 minutes before scheduled myelogram appointment. Go to Registration first then report to the 2nd floor Outpatient Department.
• Plan on 3 to 4 hours from arrival to discharge.
• On the ride home, the back of the seat should be angled in a semi-recline position rather than straight up. Three pillows will be needed to keep your head elevated when lying in bed.

Special Instructions

1.  For those taking Blood Thinners:

Call your doctor who prescribed them and tell him about your myelogram.  It is necessary to stop taking them for 5 days prior to having the myelogram. This applies to Warfarin (Coumadin® and Janotven®) and Clopidogrel (Plavix®).

If you are on Enoxaparin (Lovenox®), stop taking this medicine 24 hours before procedure.

You will need to have an INR lab test done the day before the myelogram. This test can be done at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center at the main location or at labs on Minot Ave Lab or at  the Trolley Medical Building. 

(The results of the INR must be within normal limits to prevent bleeding at the injection site.) 

2.  For those taking Tricyclic Depressants:  

Call your doctor who prescribed this medication for you and tell him about your scheduled myelogram.  The radiologists recommend that the tricycylic depressants be stopped 48 hours before the myelogram and not taken again until 24 hours after the myelogram injection. 

Brand Name	Generic Name
1. Elavil	Amitriptyline
2. Anafranil	ClomiPRAMINE
3. Sinequan	Doxepin
4. Tofranil	Imipramine
5. Asendin	Amoxapine
6. Norpramin	Desipramine
7. Pamelor	Nortriptyline

3.  For Diabetics:

If you are diabetic and taking any of the medications with metformin, then do not take your usual dose on evening before and the day of  your myelogram. You will need to skip taking this medicine for 48 hours after the myelogram injection of Omnipaque 240 or Omnipaque 300.

3. For Patients with Allergies:

If you have any allergies to iodine or latex, please be sure to tell your doctor.         

If you have questions about these instructions, or if you have questions about our myelogram, please call the Radiology Department at (207)777-8482.                        

DMK 6-5-09