Radiographic procedures such as computed tomography (CT) scans that use intravenous dye rarely cause clinically significant acute kidney injury in patients with mild baseline kidney disease, according to a study appearing in the September 2008 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The findings reveal that these procedures are safe for the large and growing number of individuals who undergo them as well as give physicians reassuring information on patient risk.
For some CT scans and other procedures used to visualize parts of the internal body, a contrast material such as dye is injected into a blood vessel so that various structures and organs can be seen more easily. Previous studies have shown that the administration of contrast dye into blood vessels can cause acute kidney injury, or the rapid loss of kidney function due to damage to the kidneys. However, this research has traditionally been conducted in patients undergoing angiographic procedures that are done to detect abnormalities in the blood vessels. Less is known about the risk of acute kidney injury in outpatients who receive intravenous dye for CT scans. This information would be valuable to physicians, because patients who are considered at risk of kidney injury from these procedures should receive certain preventive interventions.
source: Medical News Today
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