ABSTRACT.A 69-year-old male was referred from the renal unit to radiology for investigation of bleeding per rectum. A CT mesenteric angiogram was performed. However, it was noted on the pre-contrast images that the large bowel contained positive oral contrast media. The procedure was abandoned as it would have been difficult to see extravasation of intravenous contrast from a bleeding point in the large bowel. The initial belief was that either the patient had been given oral contrast by ward staff on the assumption that it would be needed, or had had a recent radiological study requiring contrast, which was still present. Neither was the case; it emerged that the patient was taking Fosrenol (Shire Pharmaceuticals, Wayne, PA), a lanthanum carbonate medication used in the treatment of hyperphosphataemia. Lanthanum is densely radio-opaque and appears as positive bowel contrast on CT and plain radiography studies. When considering radiological studies specifically requiring the absence of oral contrast, it is important to be aware of the patient's drug history to avoid non-diagnostic scans with the associated radiation exposure. CT mesenteric angiography is an established technique for the localisation of intestinal bleeding. The standard protocol specifically precludes the use of oral contrast agents in order to allow for the visualisation of intraluminal contrast in the bowel from active bleeding. We present a case of a 69-year-old male who developed bleeding per rectum while in the renal unit and undergoing treatment for chronic renal failure. A CT mesenteric angiogram was requested to locate the source of the bleeding. However, initial pre-contrast images showed that the colon contained what was thought to be oral contrast media, which prompted the scan to be terminated prior to the administration of intravenous contrast. The patient and ward staff all denied that contrast had been given. It was later discovered that the patient was taking regular lanthanum carbonate (Fosrenol; Shire Pharmaceuticals, Wayne, PA) for the treatment of hyperphosphataemia, which can act as a positive oral contrast. We report the details of the case and discuss the radiological properties of lanthanum.
Case reportA 69-year-old male with longstanding end-stage renal failure of unknown aetiology was admitted to hospital with a lower respiratory tract infection. The patient had previously been on haemodialysis and had undergone two renal transplants, one having been removed and one still in situ but not functioning. Automated peritoneal dialysis had been established as renal replacement therapy since the failure of the second transplant 3 years earlier.During the patient's time in hospital, fresh bleeding per rectum developed. This was investigated with an inpatient flexible sigmoidoscopy, which was normal. The bleeding subsequently stopped. A second large bleed reduced the patient's haemoglobin level to 6.1 g dl 21 and prompted a blood transfusion. After discussion with the radiology department, an urgent CT mesenteric angiogram was ar...