Extravasation of iopamidol and iohexol during contrast-enhanced CT: report of 28 cases.

Extravasation of intravenously injected contrast medium is a well-known complication of radiologic procedures. Records from a 27-month period were reviewed of 28 patients in whom extravasation of nonionic contrast medium occurred during computed tomographic (CT) scanning. Extravasated amounts ranged from 3 mL in an infant to 100 mL in an adult. There were seven documented major (50-100-mL) events and nine documented moderate (10-49-mL) events. Follow-up showed that none of these patients required medical or surgical intervention as a result of extravasation. The rate of extravasation during neurologic CT scanning (head, orbits, and spine) was 0.09%, while the rate for the rest of the body (chest, abdomen, pelvis, neck) was 0.17%; the overall rate was 0.14%. The higher rate for non-neurologic studies was related to the use of a power injector. Nonionic contrast medium seemed to cause fewer systemic reactions.