Contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) is acute renal injury following administration of contrast media during angiographic or other medical procedures, which represents as the third cause of hospital-acquired renal failure. CIN is associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased health-care costs, and undesirable clinical outcome. The risk of CIN includes advanced age and diabetes mellitus. With the rapid development of iconography and the wide application of interventional techniques, the patients with CIN are increasing. The preventive measures of CIN include hydration, using appropriate contrast media, stopping nephrotoxic drugs, ischemic preconditioning, renal replacement therapy, and using appropriate drugs. In this paper, the current status and early prevention progress of CIN will be reviewed from three aspects of the high-risk factors, pathogenesis and prevention, aiming to provide guidance for the early prevention of CIN and explore new research directions.