The Incidence of Immediate and Delayed Adverse Reactions to Contrast Media Caused by Coronary Angiography Examination : A Comparison between Iopamidol and Iomeprol

The aim of this study was to compare iopamidol 370 mg I/mL with iomeprol 400 mg I/mL, regarding the incidence of immediate and delayed adverse reactions to the contrast media in patients receiving such drugs for coronary angiography. A total of 4298 patinets participated in the study consisting of 2203 and 2093 patients in the iopamidol and iomeprol groups, respectively. The incidence of adverse reactions was determined by assessing the number of patients with immediate adverse reactions (up to 60 min after drug administration) and delayed adverse reactions (within 14 days after under goin angiography). The immediate adverse reactions were monitored during and after the completion of drug administration, and delayed adverse reactions were surveyed by questionnaire over the telephone. There was no significant difference in the incidence of immediate adverse reactions between both drug groups: 6.4% for iopamidol vs. 6.3% for iomeprol. On the other hand, the incidence of delayed adverse reactions in the iomeprol-treated group (7.3%) was significantly less than that in iopamidol-treated group (9.1%). The incidence of delayed adverse reactions of patients with renal dysfunction (Serum creatine 1.5 mg/dL) in the iomeprol-treated group (41.3%) was also lower than that in the iopamidol-treated group (55.2%). These results showed no obvious difference in the incidence of immediate adverse reactions between the two groups, while the incidence of delayed adverse reactions was lower in the iomeprol-treated group, thus suggesting that the usage of iomeprol with a low osmolality was more useful in protecting patients with renal dysfunction from adverse reactions induced by contrast media.