PURPOSE: To determine renal toxicity through changes in renal function after the injection of CT and MRI contrast media into rats in which acute renal failure (ARF) was induced. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To cause acute renal failure, the abdominal cavity of 110 male rats each weighing 250-300 gm was opened via a midline incision under anesthesia. Microvascular clamps were placed on both renal arteries and veins to completely block renal blood flow for 45 minutes, and were then removed, allowing blood flow to return to the kidneys. ARF, defined as a two-fold difference in the creatinine level before ARF and 48 hours after, was successfully induced in 60 of the rats. These were divided into two groups: one was injected with CT contrast medium and the other with MRI contrast medium. Each CT and MRI group was divided into a low dose (0.5 cc/kg, 0.2 ml/kg), standard dose (2 cc/kg, 0.8 ml/kg), and high dose (8 cc/kg, 3.2 ml/kg) sub-group; thus, there was a total of six groups with ten rats in each. Blood samples were obtained before ARF, 48 hours after, and 48 hours after contrast injection, and CT scanning and MRI were performed after blood sampling at 48 hours. In each group, creatinine levels 48 hours after contrast injection were compared by means of the ANOVA test. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in creatinine levels between the CT and MRI contrast medium groups (p=0.116), nor between the animals to which different doses of CT and MRI contrast medium, were administered. After both standard and high doses, CT and MRI provided good images. CONCLUSION: In rats in which acute renal failure was induced, renal function did not change according to whether CT or MRI contrast medium was injected. Thus, the two media induce similar levels of toxicity.