Before A CT Scan Or Angiogram, Many People Should Take Inexpensive Drug To Protect Kidneys: "The inexpensive drug, called N-acetylcysteine, can prevent serious kidney damage that can be caused by the iodine-containing 'dyes' that doctors use to enhance the quality of such scans.
That 'dye,' called contrast agent, is usually given intravenously before a CT scan, angiogram or other test. But the new study shows that taking an N-acetylcysteine tablet before receiving the contrast agent can protect patients -- and that it works better than other medicines that have been proposed for the same purpose."