Experience of cerebral angiography using gadolinium for renal insufficiency

: Angiography by means of iodinated contrast material, before endovascular or surgical treatment, may result in serious complications in patients with renal insufficiency or previous anaphylactoid reaction to iodine. Alternative techniques, such as magnetic resonance angiography or carbon dioxide angiography, have their own limitations. We report effectiveness and safety of cerebral angiography using gadolinium for a patient with right vertebral artery and basilar artery occlusion and renal insufficiency. A 66-year-old woman with diabetes under medical treatment suffered loss of consciousness and left hemiparesis following dehydration for 24 hours. She was transferred to our hospital. Emergent MRI suggested brain stem and cerebellar infarction due to vertebral artery occlusion with diffusion-perfusion mismatch. Because of renal insufficiency, the digital subtraction cerebral angiography using gadolinium was performed. Appropriate diagnosis was achieved by angiography using gadolinium of 0.4 mmol/kg. There was no any complication including deterioration of renal function. Gadolinium appears to be a safe and useful intraarterial contrast agent in patients with renal insufficiency.