State of Practice: ASNR Statement on Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agent Use in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Beginning in 2006, neuroradiologists became increasingly aware of the risk of nephrogenic system fibrosis (NSF) when patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) received gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in conjunction with MRI scans. Radiology practices began withholding GBCAs from MRI patients with substantial CKD and instated a variety of safety measures to ensure that these individuals did not inadvertently receive GBCAs. As a result, the worldwide incidence of NSF was dramatically reduced. Since that time, a wealth of research on NSF and its etiology has found few unconfounded cases associated with those GBCAs categorized as group II agents by the American College of Radiology.