Following 24-hour fasting and fluid deprivation, sequential changes in CT numbers of the canine kidney were determined in 4 dogs, each of whom received, at intervals, IV sodium diatrizoate, metrizamide, iopamidol, and sodium ioxaglate at a dose of 500 mgI/kg body weight. The urinary bladder was catheterized for baseline determination of urine osmolality and, subsequently, urine volume and CT number, CT number of the bladder urine from 0 to 10 minutes and from 10 to 20 minutes post-injection was obtained by scanning known dilutions of urine in vitro. Peak renal cortical enhancement occurred within 2 minutes of bolus injection and was not dependent on the chemical make-up of the contrast agent. Peak medullary enhancement occurred within 3 minutes of bolus injection. Peak medulla CT number following sodium diatrizoate was significantly less than that following metrizamide (P less than 0.025) or iopamidol (P less than 0.01). Peak medulla CT number was significantly less following sodium diatrizoate (P less than 0.01), metrizamide (P less than 0.01) and iopamidol (P less than 0.05) than following sodium ioxaglate. Urine iodine concentrations followed a similar pattern, with significant differences as follows: sodium diatrizoate less than metrizamide = iopamidol less than sodium ioxaglate. It was concluded that the investigational agents metrizamide, iopamidol, and sodium ioxaglate have theoretical advantage for excretory urography. Differences in renal handling of these agents are detectable, with CT scanning as differences in renal medullary enhancement and urine iodine concentration.