Contrast Material in CT Scan Can Harm Lung Patients

A study has demonstrated that the contrast material commonly used with a computed tomography (CT) scan can worsen the condition of patients with acute lung injury (ALI) because it causes the lungs to fill up with fluid, making it harder for them to breathe. The study was published in the December 15, 2002, issue of Critical Care, an online journal of BioMed Central.

Researchers investigated the effects of contrast material on the lungs of 14 patients with ALI, who were divided into two groups. Patients in the first group were given a CT scan both before and 30 seconds after injection with contrast material. Patients in the second group were given a CT scan before and after 15 minutes. The volume of lung tissue was then measured from the CT scans of all the patients.

The researchers found that injecting the contrast material increased lung tissue volume in both sets of patients, with a larger increase observed after 15 minutes. The increase was attributed to an accumulation of fluid in the lungs caused by the injection of contrast material, which suggests that the contrast material is making it harder for patients to breathe.

"It seems prudent to avoid this procedure in critically ill patients undergoing a thoracic CT scan,” concluded the authors, led by Jean-Jacques Rouby of the University of Paris (www.univ-paris1.fr) and colleagues in France and Brazil.





Related Links:
Critical Care
Univ. of Paris