European Society of Urogenital Radiology guidelines on administering contrast media.

The European Society of Urogenital Radiology is committed to improving knowledge and understanding about contrast media. There seemed to be little agreement about the best approach for the prevention of contrast medium-induced nephrotoxicity or generalized adverse reactions and the use of intravascular contrast media in diabetic patients receiving metformin. There was also concern that there might be discrepancies between current practice and published recommendations on these subjects. The Contrast Media Safety Committee of the European Society of Urogenital Radiology has produced practical guidelines on these important topics based on wide consensus and extensive review of the literature. The details of the guidelines are presented in this review.