Contrast nephropathy: are short-term outcome measures adequate for quantification of long-term renal risk?

This Practice Point commentary discusses the findings of a prospective observational study by Weisbord et al. that attempted to quantify the incidence and outcomes of contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD). These data are set in the context of recent observations linking acute kidney injury with the progression of CKD to end-stage renal disease. The commentary also asks whether standard short-term clinical outcome measures-i.e. changes in serum creatinine-are adequate to assess the risk of disease progression in patients with mild-to-moderate CKD.