CT Risks

Contrast Used With CT Scans May Not Increase Risk Of Kidney Injury.
HealthDay (9/10, Preidt, 5K) reports that research published in Radiology suggests that “an injected iodine-based substance often used to enhance the images produced by CT scans is safe for most patients.” Investigators looked at data on nearly “11,000 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CT exams, comparing them to about the same number of patients who underwent” CT exams in which contrast was not used. The researchers saw “no significant difference between the two groups’ rates of acute kidney injury – about 5 percent in each group – or in their rates of emergency kidney dialysis in patients, or death within 30 days after their procedures.”
HealthImaging (9/10, 126) points out that “guidelines of the American College of Radiology recommend more restricted use of intravenous contrast material for high-risk patients that have included those with diabetes, heart failure or renal failure.”

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