DNA breaks induced by iodine-containing contrast medium in radiodiagnostics: a problem of tungsten?

Iodine-containing contrast media (ICM) are often used to improve image quality and information content in x-ray-based examinations. There is, hovewer, increasing evidence that the use of ICM during CT sessions is associated with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) breaks that may influence the estimation of the risks linked to x-ray exposure. The authors of this study tried to answer the questions “Why has iodine been preferred to any other heavy elements to enhance contrast in radiodiagnostics?” and “How to understand such DNA breaks effect?”

Article: DNA breaks induced by iodine-containing contrast medium in radiodiagnostics: a problem of tungsten?

Authors: Mélanie L. Ferlazzo, Clement Devic, Adeline Granzotto, Anne-Marie Charvet, Franck Pilleul, Catherine Colin, Marie-Claude Biston, Aurélie Joubert, Michel Bourguignon and Nicolas Foray