Dynamic contrast-enhanced MDCT of the liver: analysis of the effect of different iodine concentrations with the same total iodine dose in the same chronic liver disease patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of aortic and hepatic enhancement in patients with chronic liver disease who underwent dynamic MDCT using a higher concentration of contrast material within the same total iodine dose (80 mL of 370 mgI/mL), compared with a standard iodine concentration (100 mL of 300 mgI/mL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dynamic MDCT of the liver was performed in 35 patients using different prefilled syringes (300 mgI/mL = group A, 370 mgI/mL = group B) during follow-up periods. The bolus-tracking program was used to automatically start the arterial phase scan. The attenuation values for the abdominal aorta, the hepatic parenchyma, and portal veins were measured. RESULTS: Attenuation values of the aorta and hepatic artery in group B were significantly higher than those in group A (p<0.001). Attenuation values of the splenic vein (SV) in group A were higher than those in group B (p=0.045). The relative hepatic enhancement (RHE) values during the portal phase in group B were significantly higher than those in group A (p=0.014). CONCLUSION: Administration of a higher iodine concentration in the contrast materials is advantageous for the detection of both hyper- and hypo-vascular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs).