The intravascular administration of contrast media is an important tool in cardiovascular imaging, especially in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Owing to the widespread use of these procedures, contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) has become one of the most common types of acute renal failures. CI-AKI is mainly mediated by mechanisms of oxidative damage, and its onset is associated with prolonged hospitalization and significant morbidity and mortality. Preexisting chronic kidney disease, diabetes, age, heart failure, and characteristics related to the procedure (primary or elective PCI, type and amount of contrast medium) are the most important risk factors for the development of post-PCI CI-AKI.For this serious complication, prevention is more important than treatment, and various preventive measures have been widely tested in recent years. However, none of the strategies so far evaluated, with the exception of pre-procedural hydration with isotonic saline, has been shown to effectively prevent CI-AKI in randomized trials in large populations. In this review, we discuss the incidence, risk factors, main pathogenetic mechanisms and current strategies for the prevention of CI-AKI.