Mild skin reactions are a not infrequent delayed adverse outcome of contrast-enhanced CT, according to a prospective study from the University of California, Davis.
Mild skin reactions are a not infrequent delayed adverse outcome of contrast-enhanced CT, according to a prospective study from the University of California, Davis.
A study of 539 subjects who received CE-CT with the low-osmolar contrast agent iohexol (Omnipaque) and 286 patients who underwent noncontrast CT found that 14.3% of the subjects who received contrast had a delayed adverse reaction. Only one patient receiving noncontrast CT reported an adverse event.
Patients recruited for the study had been referred for CT to examine the chest, abdomen, pelvis, head, neck, or extremity. Subjects were randomized to receive either contrast or noncontrast procedures. Their average ages were 55.6 years for the iohexol group and 52 years for the noncontrast patients. Subjects in the contrast-enhanced CT group were administered 12 mL of iohexol at 4 mL/sec. Imaging was performed at the UC-Davis Medical Center.
The results suggest to principal investigator Dr. Shaun Loh that radiologists should stay aware of the possibility of delayed reactions and the need for prevention and management.
The findings were gathered from direct observation during the hour after imaging, a mail-in questionnaire, and follow-up phone contacts at two to three days after the CT scan. The response rate was 88%.
Cutaneous reactions were the most common adverse event. They arose during about 2.7% of the enhanced procedures. The range of cutaneous responses included rashes, itching, skin redness, and swelling. The rashes typically appeared first on the face and ears, spreading to the neck, upper chest, and back before progressing overnight to the arms, Loh said.
Loh and colleagues identified 14 prospective clinical trials that consider delayed adverse events before designing their own study. Only two of these efforts included a noncontrast control group, and their results were generally equivocal with the exception of skin manifestations, he said.
The adverse-event percentage rate may have been low, but it is notable considering the number of contrast-enhanced CT studies performed at busy practices such as UC-Davis, Loh said. His department performs 3100 contrast-CT studies per week. That translates into 20 delayed reactions that warrant attention, he said.
Study Reveals Benefits of Photon-Counting CT for Assessing Acute Pulmonary Embolism
April 23rd 2024In comparison to energy-integrating detector CT for the workup of suspected acute pulmonary embolism, the use of photon-counting detector CT reduced radiation dosing by 48 percent, according to newly published research.
The Reading Room: Artificial Intelligence: What RSNA 2020 Offered, and What 2021 Could Bring
December 5th 2020Nina Kottler, M.D., chief medical officer of AI at Radiology Partners, discusses, during RSNA 2020, what new developments the annual meeting provided about these technologies, sessions to access, and what to expect in the coming year.
AI Adjudication Bolsters Chest CT Assessment of Lung Adenocarcinoma
April 11th 2024The inclusion of simulated adjudication for resolving discordant nodule classifications in a deep learning model for assessing lung adenocarcinoma on chest CT resulted in a 12 percent increase in sensitivity rate.