A review of the available methods to reduce the utilised iodine contrast medium in computed tomography

Abstract

Despite the possibility of adverse reactions caused by the iodine contrast medium in computed tomography examinations, which might be life-threatening in particular cases, the iodine contrast medium is still essential to enhance images for diagnostic purposes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to explore the available approaches to reduce the amount of iodine contrast media utilised in computed tomography examinations to minimise the potential adverse reactions which might occur to the patients, to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies, and to make recommendations for practice and research. A scoping review was performed by a single researcher in Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINHAL) and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) databases from 2011 to 2021 to acquire the eligible studies, quantitative assessments of the included studies were conducted utilising Critical Appraisal Skills Programmes (CASP) combined with STANDARD QUALITY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields (QualSyst) tools, and were summarised in this scoping review. Seven studies that discussed this subject were considered, with variances in sample size, examination and the reduction method used, the potential percentage of iodine dose reduction, age determination, presenting findings, and conclusions. This scoping review disclosed that iodine dose reduction is possible for various examinations through various methods without affecting the image quality. All the determined techniques were presented in this review.