Radiocontrast nephropathy (RCN) is an uncommon complication in acute stroke patients undergoing emergency CT angiography (CTA), according to Canadian researchers.
Andrew M. Demchuk, MD, of the University of Calgary in Alberta, and his colleagues studied 224 patients with acute stroke syndrome who had CT angiograms of the brain. Of these, seven (3%) fulfilled criteria for RCN, the investigators reported in Stroke (2007; published online ahead of print).
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None of the 36 patients who received an additional digital subtraction angiogram experienced subsequent RCN. In addition, 13% of patients had a greater than 25% rise in creatinine level at a late follow-up (more than 30 days).
“Overall, these results illustrate that there is a low incidence of RCN in acute stroke patients undergoing emergency CTA,” the authors wrote.
