Extravasation of iodinated contrast medium in cancer patients undergoing computed tomography.

Silva, Hernandes Cerqueira de Souza; Bitencourt, Almir Galvão Vieira; Chojniak, Rubens

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of extravasation of iodinated contrast medium (ICM) at the site of intravenous injection in oncology patients submitted to computed tomography (CT). Materials and Methods This was a retrospective, descriptive, single-center study that evaluated all patients who underwent CT with ICM administration and presented ICM extravasation, at a cancer center, between January 2010 and December 2015. Results During the study period, we evaluated a total of 99,076 ICM injections and identified 199 cases of extravasation, the incidence rate therefore being 0.20%. Among the patients who presented extravasation, the mean age was 59.22 years and 60% were female. The extravasation was classified as mild in 94.10% of the patients and as moderate in 5.90%. There were no cases of severe extravasation in the sample. Conclusion The incidence of ICM extravasation in cancer patients submitted to CT in the present study was similar to that reported for the general population, according to other studies in the literature. The vast majority of cases of extravasation were considered mild, and no severe cases were observed in the study sample.