Contrast Agents and Contrast-Induced Nephropathy

Abstract

Recent advances in medical sciences, especially in imaging, have dramatically increased the use of contrast agents. The constantly changing nature of medicine and the availability of new information, such as new pharmaceutical formulations, have necessitated periodic revisions and drafting of new guidelines for the safe use of intravenous contrast agents in radiology. This study examined the majority of guidelines, articles, and authoritative references available on the use of intravenous contrast agents in adults to reduce the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy. The search engines of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were used, and relevant English articles cited at least twice between 1979 and 2014 were studied. Review of the collected papers showed no consensus among them for guidelines on the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients at risk. Different formulas were used to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate, which could be problematic in some cases. Further studies are needed for unification of existing guidelines.