Intravenous pyelography in nonuremic diabetic patients.

We studied the influence of intravenous pyelography (IVP) in 40 diabetic patients with a serum creatinine level of less than 2 mg/100 ml. None of the patients experienced irreversible renal function changes but 4 patients had an early significant rise in creatinine levels (greater than 0.2 mg/100 ml). In 3 of these it was only mild, but 1 patient sustained reversible serious damage with a creatinine rising from 1.6 to 3.8 mg/100 ml. 3 of these 4 patients had evidence of renal disease with mild creatinine elevations or proteinuria. Thus, IVP is a relatively safe procedure in nonuremic diabetic patients. This is different from IVP in diabetic patients who have creatinines over 2 mg/100 ml where 76% of the patients have serious acute renal failure and this is irreversible in one-third.