[1] This includes visualizing veins, the urinary system, spleen, and joints, as well as computer tomography (CT scan).

[4] Other side effects include itchiness, kidney problems, low blood pressure, and allergic reactions.

[10] Because of its high osmolarity it can draw water from the surrounding tissues into the intestines, thus cause dehydration in people with already small plasma volume such as infants.

[12] In principle, diatrizoic acid is administered by the route most appropriate and sensible to image the structure/-s of interest (e.g., IV for blood vessels through which it is distributed and kidney–ureters–bladder that excrete it; orally or per rectally as an enema for the gastrointestinal tract).

[citation needed] A history of sensitivity to iodine is not a contraindication to using diatrizoate, although it suggests caution in use of the agent.

Concurrent use may lead to kidney failure and lactic acidosis, and a clinician may need to space the agents apart over a number of days to prevent an interaction.

[13] Gastrografin is a hypertonic solution, and therefore it should be avoided in imaging studies of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients who are at risk of aspiration, as it will cause prompt pulmonary edema if accidentally introduced into the tracheobronchial tree.