Comparison between the Efficacy of High Dose Short-Term Statin Therapy and Normal Saline in Prevention of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy among Patients Receiving Iodixanol

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a serious complication following contrast-based imaging methods, e.g. receiving iodixanol. Statins have been postulated to prevent CIN via various mechanisms. However, there have been conflicting reports on the use of statins for prevention of CIN. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of simvastatin in the prevention of CIN.

A total number of 194 patients were randomly allocated to groups of control and statin-treated patients (n = 97 in both groups). The two groups received the same dose of iodixanol. The control group received normal saline before and after angiography and statin-treated patients received simvastatin (80 mg/day) and normal saline before and after angiography. Serum creatinine levels were measured before angiography and two consecutive days after the procedure. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated on the second and third days. The values were then statistically analyzed.

There were no differences between the two groups in the first 24 hours after the procedure. However, after 48 hours, GFR values were significantly higher in the statin-treated group (P = 0.002).

Prophylactic administration of statins along with hydration may be associated with less contrast-induced nephropathy.