BMJ  2006;333:663-664 (30 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.38981.652118.DE

Editorial

Adverse reactions to intravascular contrast agents

Routine prophylaxis is not supported by evidence

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Acute life threatening reactions to intravascular x ray contrast enhancing agents are often labelled "anaphylactoid" because they may have some or all the features of anaphylaxis—such as bronchospasm, airway obstruction, angio-oedema, or cardiovascular collapse—but are not truly anaphylactic. They are usually seen after direct intravascular administration but can also occur after intracavitary administration. Whether such reactions can be prevented is a subject of much debate among radiologists: in this week's BMJ a systematic review by Tramèr and colleagues finds little evidence to support the use of drugs to prevent serious reactions to contrast media.1

Iodinated contrast media can be categorised into ionic and non-ionic types. The main difference is that ionic media break down into charged particles when entering a solution such as blood. Since the introduction of non-ionic agents, which are now used almost exclusively in the United Kingdom,w1 adverse reactions have become less common. Two large studies . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter Dawson, professor

Department of Imaging, UCL Hospitals, London NW1 2BU
(peter.dawson@uclh.nhs.uk)


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Relevant Article

Pharmacological prevention of serious anaphylactic reactions due to iodinated contrast media: systematic review
Martin R Tramèr, Erik von Elm, Pierre Loubeyre, and Conrad Hauser
BMJ 2006 333: 675. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • (2006). Can We Prevent Anaphylactic Reactions to Contrast Media?. JWatch General 2006: 1-1 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Steroid Prophylaxis before Iodinated Contrast Medium
Judith A W Webb, et al.
bmj.com, 6 Oct 2006 [Full text]
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