Are gadolinium-based contrast media really safer than iodinated media for digital subtraction angiography in patients with azotemia?

Gadolinium chelates, intended as intravenous contrast media for magnetic resonance imaging, have been regarded as nonnephrotoxic and recommended to replace iodinated contrast media in patients with azotemia who are undergoing digital subtraction angiography (DSA). High intraarterial doses (up to 220 mmol of gadodiamide) have been used, with a 40% incidence of nephropathy. The authors discourage the use of gadolinium for DSA for several reasons. (a) There exist no randomized studies comparing the nephrotoxic effects of gadolinium-based and iodinated media at equal-attenuating concentrations and doses. (b) Gadolinium-based media are hypertonic, a pathogenetic factor in contrast medium-induced nephropathy after renal angiography, with an osmolality two to seven times that of plasma. Iodinated media in concentrations that are equally attenuating with gadolinium-based media can be made isotonic. (c) In vitro measurements indicate that 0.5 mol/L gadolinium chelates are equally attenuating with 60-80 mg iodine per milliliter at the commonly used 70-90-kV range used for DSA. Thus, 50 mL of 0.5 mol/L gadolinium chelate ( approximately 0.3 mmol/kg in an 80-kg person) would be equally attenuating with a dose of 3-4 g of iodine in an iodinated medium (eg, 50 mL iohexol at 60-80 mg I/mL or 10-13 mL at 300 mg I/mL). (d) By combining these data on attenuation and results of toxicity studies in mice, the general toxicity of gadolinium chelates may be six to 25 times higher than that of equal-attenuating doses of iodinated media at 70-kV DSA. Thus, the authors believe that at equal-attenuating doses for DSA, modern iodinated contrast media should result in a lower toxic load on the body than with presently available gadolinium chelates

CT and MRI imaging in Sweden: retrospective appropriateness analysis of large referral samples

ObjectivesThe numbers of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations per capita continue to increase in Sweden and in other parts of Europe. The appropriateness of CT and MRI examinations was audited using established European appropriateness criteria. Alternative modalities were also explored. The results were compared with those of a previous study performed in Sweden.MethodsA semi-automatic retrospective evaluation of referrals from examinations performed in four healthcare regions using the European appropriateness criteria in ESR iGuide was undertaken. The clinical indications from a total of 13,075 referrals were assessed against these criteria. The ESR iGuide was used to identify alternative modalities resulting in a higher degree of appropriateness. A qualitative comparison with re-evaluated results from the previous study was made.ResultsThe appropriateness was higher for MRI examinations than for CT examinations with procedures classed as usually appropriate for 76% and 63% of the examinations, respectively. The degree of appropriateness for CT was higher for referrals from hospitals compared to those from primary care centres. The opposite was found for MRI examinations. The alternative modalities that would result in higher appropriateness included all main imaging modalities. The result for CT did not show improvement compared with the former study.ConclusionsA high proportion of both CT and MRI examinations were inappropriate. The study indicates that 37% of CT examinations and 24% of MRI examinations were inappropriate and that the appropriateness for CT has not improved in the last 15 years.Critical relevance statementA high proportion of CT and MRI examinations in this retrospective study using evidence-based referral guidelines were inappropriate.Key points∙ A high proportion of CT and MRI examinations were inappropriate.∙ The CT referrals from general practitioners were less appropriate that those from hospital specialists.∙ The MRI referrals from hospital specialists were less appropriate that those from general practitioners.∙ Adherence to radiological appropriateness guidelines may improve the appropriateness of conducted examinations

Are intravenous injections of contrast media really less nephrotoxic than intra-arterial injections?

We oppose the opinion that the intra-arterial administration of iodine-based contrast media (CM) appears to pose a greater risk of contrast medium-induced nephropathy (CIN) than intravenous administration since 1) in intra-arterial coronary procedures and most other intra-arterial angiographic examinations, CM injections are also intravenous relative to the kidneys, 2) there is a lack of comparative trials studying the risk of CIN between intra-arterial and intravenous procedures with matched risk factors and CM doses, 3) a bias selection of patients with fewer risk factors may explain the seemingly lower rate of CIN after CT in comparison with coronary interventions, 4) the rate of CIN following intra-arterial coronary procedures may also be exaggerated owing to other causes of acute kidney failure, such as haemodynamic instability and microembolisation, 5) roughly the same gram-iodine/GFR ratio (≈1:1) as a limit of relatively safe CM doses has preliminarily been found for both intravenous CT and intra-arterial coronary procedures and 6) the substantially higher injected intravenous CM dose rate during CT relative to an intra-arterial coronary procedure might actually pose a higher risk of CIN following CT. Key Points • Most intra-arterial injections of contrast media are intravenous relative to the kidneys.• No evidence that intravenous CM injections should be less nephrotoxic than intra-arterial.• Considerably higher dose rates of CM are used for CT relative to intra-arterial procedures.• Higher dose rates may pose higher nephrotoxic risk for intravenous based CT studies

Effect on cardiac contractile force from addition of cations and oxygen to iohexol. Comparison with other low-osmotic contrast media in the isolated rabbit heart during normal and reduced perfusion pressure

The coronary arteries of the isolated rabbit heart were perfused with different contrast media (CM). The effects on cardiac contractile force (CF) from enriching iohexol solutions with sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium and oxygen were investigated. The effects were studied during normal and reduced perfusion pressure; the latter was intended to simulate flow conditions distal to proximal stenotic processes of the coronary arteries. By adding the above mentioned cations to iohexol (175 mg I/ml) the smallest influence on CF was found when the CM contained 30 mM NaCl, 0.3 mM CaCl2, 0.9 mM KCl and 0.3 mM MgCl2 and this influence on CF was significantly less than caused by iohexol with 30 mM NaCl (p < or = 0.01). The influence on CF was further reduced when this iohexol solution was oxygenated with 100% oxygen (p < or = 0.001). This modified iohexol solution caused a significantly smaller influence on CF than the low-osmotic media iohexol, iopamiro, ioversol and ioxaglate (p < or = 0.001). Ioxaglate caused the greatest decrease in CF of all the CM (p < or = 0.001) and to a greater extent during reduced flow than during normal flow (p < or = 0.01). In conclusion, iohexol enriched with a balanced electrolyte solution and saturated with oxygen had a smaller adverse effect on contractility than iohexol, iopamidol, ioversol and ioxaglate

Incidence of ventricular fibrillation during left coronary arteriography in pigs: comparison of a solution of the nonionic dimer iodixanol with solutions of five different nonionic monomers.

BACKGROUND: Solutions of iodine contrast media (CM) used for selective coronary arteriography (CA) should have minimal propensity to cause ventricular fibrillation (VF). Commonly used CM for CA are nonionic monomers or dimers. PURPOSE: To compare VF propensity of ready-to-use solutions of one nonionic dimer, iodixanol, and five nonionic monomers, iobitridol, iopamidol, iomeprol, iopromide, and ioversol. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty milliliters of each CM was injected into the left coronary artery (LCA) through an inflated balloon catheter (0.5 ml/s) in 14 pigs; the longest period of injection was 40 s. If VF occurred before 40 s, the injection was stopped and the heart was defibrillated. After VF, there was a delay of 40 min before the next injection. Hemodynamic parameters and vector electrocardiography (VECG) were monitored. A CM with a lower frequency of VF and a longer period between start of injection and start of VF was considered to have a lower VF propensity. RESULTS: Following 14 injections, each of the five nonionic monomers caused 14 VF, whereas iodixanol caused three VF (P<0.01). When VF occurred after iodixanol, it occurred later than after the other CM (P<0.001). Iodixanol caused less prolongation in QRS time (P<0.01) and QTc time (P<0.05) than the other CM. Prolongations in QRS and QTc times caused by CM parallel the VF propensities of the CM. CONCLUSION: Ready-to-use solutions of the dimer iodixanol have lower VF propensity than solutions of the five monomeric CM. This is related to the fact that the solutions of the dimer iodixanol have lower osmolality, higher viscosity, and higher concentrations of NaCl and CaCl2 than solutions of the five monomers

Reduced risk of ventricular fibrillation by balancing sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium added to nonionic contrast media. An investigation in the isolated rabbit heart

The effect of addition of calcium, potassium and magnesium to iohexol (350 mg I/ml) enriched with 30 mM sodium was investigated with regard to ventricular fibrillation (VF) in isolated rabbit hearts. Enriching iohexol containing 30 mM sodium with increasing amounts of calcium (0-1.2 mM) caused an increase in the frequency of VF. Increasing amounts of potassium (0-3.8 mM) to iohexol with 30 mM Na + 0.15 mM Ca + 0.1 mM Mg reduced the risk of VF. However, this protective effect of potassium on VF was reduced if magnesium was removed from the test solution. Furthermore, increasing amounts of magnesium (0-1.2 mM) to iohexol with 30 mM Na + 0.15 mM Ca + 0.4 mM K led to an increased frequency of VF. Iohexol with 30 mM Na + 0.3 mM Ca + 0.9 mM K + 0.3 mM Mg caused no VF. It is of interest to add multiple cations to sodium-containing nonionic media to improve cardiac contractility following coronary perfusion. The present study indicates that it is possible to enrich iohexol 350 mg I/ml + 30 mM Na with calcium, potassium and magnesium in small amounts, and balanced with respect to each ion, without changing the risk of VF