| Mild subjective symptoms, such as a feeling of heat and nausea, occur very seldom and disappear rapidly when the injection is slowed down or briefly interrupted. Transient pain may occur, in particular during the examination of peripheral vascular regions. Other symptoms which may occur are: Chills, fever, sweating, headache, dizziness, blanching, weakness, gagging and a feeling of suffocation, gasping, a rise or fall of blood pressure, itching, urticaria, other kinds of skin eruption, oedema, cramp, tremor, sneezing and lacrimation. These reactions, which can occur irrespective of the amount administered and the mode of administration, may be the first signs of incipient shock. Administration of the contrast medium must be discontinued immediately and - if necessary - specific therapy instituted intravenously. It is therefore advisable to use a flexible indwelling cannula for intravenous contrast medium administration. Very rarely, severe or even life-threatening side-effects such as severe hypotension and collapse, circulatory failure, ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, pulmonary oedema, anaphylactic shock or other allergic manifestations, convulsions, or other cerebral symptoms may occur. In some cases these have proved fatal.To permit immediate countermeasures to be taken in emergencies, appropriate drugs, an endotracheal tube and a ventilator should be ready to hand. Experience shows that hypersensitivity reactions occur more frequently in patients with an allergic disposition. Paravascular administration of the contrast medium rarely leads to severe tissue reactions. Delayed reactions can occasionally occur. Neurological complications such as coma, temporary states of confusion and somnolence, transient paresis, disturbed vision or facial muscle paresis and epileptic fits may occur after cerebral angiography and other procedures in which the contrast medium reaches the brain with the arterial blood. In very rare cases the induction of fits has been observed after intravenous administration of Urografin in epileptics and patients with focal brain damage. However, a causal relationship seems to be questionable. Temporary renal failure may occur in rare cases. | |