Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 May;31(3):461-9.
doi: 10.3904/kjim.2014.210. Epub 2015 Dec 23.

Comparison of enhancement and image quality: different iodine concentrations for liver on 128-slice multidetector computed tomography in the same chronic liver disease patients

Byoung Goo Jo  1 , Yun Gyu Song  1 , Sang Goon Shim  2 , Young Wook Kim  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Comparison of enhancement and image quality: different iodine concentrations for liver on 128-slice multidetector computed tomography in the same chronic liver disease patients

Byoung Goo Jo et al. Korean J Intern Med. 2016 May.

Abstract

Background/aims: The objective of this study was to compare the degree of hepatic enhancement and image quality using contrast media of different iodine concentrations with the same iodine dose.

Methods: From July 2011 to June 2013, 50 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent baseline and follow-up 128-slice multidetector computed tomography(MDCT) using contrast media with 350 mg I/mL (group A) and 400 mg I/mL (group B) iodine concentrations were included in this prospective study. The patients were randomly allocated to one of two protocols: 350 mg I/mL initially and then 400 mg I/mL; and 400 mg I/mL initially and then 350 mg I/mL. The bolus tracking technique was used to initiate the arterial phase scan. The computed tomography values of hepatic parenchyma, abdominal aorta and portal vein were measured. The degrees of hepatic and vascular enhancement were rated on a 4-point scale for qualitative assessment. The paired Student t test was used to compare outcome variables.

Results: The mean hepatic enhancement was significantly higher in group B than in group A during the portal (p = 0.025) and equilibrium phases (p = 0.021). In all phases, group B had significantly higher mean liver-to-aorta contrast (p < 0.05) and mean visual scores for hepatic and vascular enhancement (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: This study showed that a higher iodine concentration (400 mg I/mL) in contrast media was more effective at improving hepatic enhancement in portal and equilibrium phase images and overall image quality using 128-slice MDCT in chronic liver disease patients.

Keywords: Contrast media; Iodine; Liver; Multidetector computed tomography.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan of the abdomen from a 45-year-old man with chronic hepatitis. MDCT scans of the abdomen obtained during the portal venous phase using contrast media of 350 (A) and 400 mg I/mL (B). There were statistically significant differences in contrast enhancement values of the hepatic parenchyma, aorta and portal vein between the two groups.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan of the abdomen from a 67-year-old man with cirrhosis. MDCT scans of the abdomen obtained during the arterial phase using contrast media of 350 (A) and 400 mg I/mL (B). There was a statistically significant difference in liver-to-aorta contrast between the two groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Furuta A, Ito K, Fujita T, Koike S, Shimizu A, Matsunaga N. Hepatic enhancement in multiphasic contrast-enhanced MDCT: comparison of high- and low-iodine-concentration contrast medium in same patients with chronic liver disease. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2004;183:157–162. - PubMed
    1. Matoba M, Kitadate M, Kondou T, Yokota H, Tonami H. Depiction of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma with 64-MDCT: comparison of moderate- and high-concentration contrast material with and without saline flush. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2009;193:738–744. - PubMed
    1. Bae KT. Peak contrast enhancement in CT and MR angiography: when does it occur and why? Pharmacokinetic study in a porcine model. Radiology. 2003;227:809–816. - PubMed
    1. Hwang GJ, Kim MJ, Yoo HS, Lee JT. Nodular hepatocellular carcinomas: detection with arterial-, portal-, and delayed-phase images at spiral CT. Radiology. 1997;202:383–388. - PubMed
    1. Mitsuzaki K, Yamashita Y, Ogata I, Nishiharu T, Urata J, Takahashi M. Multiple-phase helical CT of the liver for detecting small hepatomas in patients with liver cirrhosis: contrast-injection protocol and optimal timing. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1996;167:753–757. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources