June 13, 2007 – According to a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Medical Center and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital both in Ann Arbor, MI, allergic-like reactions to newer iodine-containing contrast agents (nonionic contrast media), are rare in children.
“Over the past 20 years, we have changed the type of iodine-containing intravenous contrast agents used primarily for computed tomography (CT) and intravenous pyelogram (IVP) examinations in both adult and pediatric patients. The nonionic contrast media that we now use have been studied extensively in adults, but not as much in children. We performed our study because we wanted to find out what the exact risk of allergic reactions to these newer contrast agents was in children,” said Jonathan R. Dillman, MD, lead author of the study.
The study evaluated 11,306 pediatric IV administrations of iodine-containing contrast agents over a seven year period. According to the study, acute allergic-like reactions were documented in 20 of the patients. Of these patients, 16 of the allergic-like reactions were categorized as mild, one as moderate, and three as severe. Six of the reacting patients had a history of allergic-like reactions, including two patients who had a history of reactions to iodinated contrast material. Five of the patients had a history of asthma.
For more information: www.med.umich.edu
July 09, 2024 
