Iodinated contrast agents (ICA) are an essential part of the urologist's everyday practice, allowing enhanced imaging of the urinary tract.
Contrast is administered directly into the urinary tract during retrograde pyelograms, JJ stent insertion, ureterorenoscopy, urethrography and cystography. Contrast can also be administered intravenously, for example during CT urogram studies in the investigation of haematuria. Increasingly, patients are labelled as having a contrast "allergy" when in fact this is a misnomer as it is not a true allergy.
Written by:
Kasivisvanathan V, Vadhwana B, Challacombe B, Raza A. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust, Watford Road, Harrow, HA1 3UJ; Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, University College London; Department of Urology, Ealing Hospital, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust, Uxbridge Road, Southall, UB1 3HW; Department of Urology, Guy's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust.
Reference: BJU Int. 2015 Jun 13. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1111/bju.13204
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 26074481