Objective To explore the role of short-term, high-dose atorvastatin in the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy ( CIN ) in patients with renal insufficiency after percutaneous coronary intervention ( PCI ).Methods 41 patients with coronary heart discease ( CHD ) and renal insufficiency underwent scheduled PCI.They received either 80 mg/d of atorvastatin ( study group,n =21 ),or 20 mg/d of atorvastatin ( control group,n =20 ) for 3 days before PCI.Serum creatinine ( SCr )levels were measured before and on days 1,2,and 3 after PCI.CIN was defined as an increase in SCr values of ≥ 25％ or ≥ 0.5 mg/dl from the baseline within 3 days after PCI.Results There were no significant differences in levels of SCr between the two groups at different time points ( P ＞ 0.05 ).The incidence rate of CIN did not differ significantly between the two groups ( one in each group,P＞ 0.05 ).There was no significant difference in the peak level of SCr between the study group and the control group after intervention ( 232.4 μmol/L vs.227.6 μmol/L,P＞ 0.05 ).Conclusions On the basis of standard intravenous hydration,a short-term administration of high doses of atorvastatin before and after contrast exposure fails to decrease CIN occurrence in CHD patients with pre-existing renal insufficiency.