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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
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An Ex vivo Culture System to Study Thyroid Development
Published on: June 6, 2014
Neonatal thyroid function: effect of a single exposure to iodinated contrast medium in utero
Ghada Bourjeily1, Michel Chalhoub, Chanika Phornphutkul
1Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, USA. GBourjeily@wihri.org
Radiology
|July 17, 2010
Summary
In utero exposure to iodinated contrast media during pregnancy did not significantly impact newborn thyroid function. A single high dose of iohexol showed no clinically important effects on thyroid hormone levels at birth.
Area of Science:
- Radiology and Imaging
- Neonatal Health
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Iodinated contrast media are frequently used in pregnant women for diagnostic imaging.
- Potential effects of in utero contrast exposure on fetal development, particularly thyroid function, require evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a single in utero dose of water-soluble intravenous iodinated contrast medium on neonatal thyroid function.
- To determine if exposure to iohexol during pregnancy affects thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels at birth.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of maternal and newborn records for pregnancies undergoing pulmonary computed tomographic angiography with iohexol between 2004 and 2008.
- Data collected included contrast dose, gestational age at exposure, and neonatal T4 and TSH levels at birth.
- Descriptive analysis of 344 maternal and 343 newborn records.
Main Results:
- Mean gestational age at contrast administration was 27.8 weeks.
- All newborns exhibited normal T4 levels at birth.
- One newborn had a transiently abnormal TSH, which normalized by day 6, with a history of multiple maternal drug exposures.
Conclusions:
- A single, high-dose in utero exposure to iohexol is unlikely to cause clinically significant thyroid dysfunction in newborns.
- Neonatal thyroid function appears robust following maternal exposure to iodinated contrast agents.
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