Influence of contrast media on red blood cell deformability

Iodinated contrast media (CM) are widely used in diagnostic imaging and therapeutic interventional procedures of everyday clinical practice and are associated with multiple hemodynamic and hemorheological effects. The purpose of our work was to investigate the red blood cell (RBC) rheological properties after in vivo administration of low-osmolar or iso-osmolar CM by measuring their membrane deformability (Index of Rigidity, IR) using a filtration method. Blood samples were taken from patients who underwent digital subtraction angiography of the peripheral arteries at various times before and after intravenous administration of CM. CM included iso-osmolar Iodixanol, low-osmolar Iopromide and low-osmolar Iopentol. In the whole patient group an IR increase of 59% was calculated 5 minutes after administration of CM followed by a normalization of elevated IR values within the following hour. The 5-min IR increase was strongest in the group treated with Iopromide, whereas administration of Iodixanol was associated with a more modest transient IR increase. Intravenous injection of CM in humans may be associated with a transient but considerable decrease of RBC membrane deformability and particularly for the iso-osmolar CM the induced changes in membrane deformability seem to be more moderate.