title: Hepatic perfusion during hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy: evaluation with perfusion CT and perfusion scintigraphy.
abstract: The standard method for the evaluation of hepatic perfusion during hepatic artery infusion (HAI) chemotherapy is planar hepatic artery perfusion scintigraphy (HAPS). Planar HAPS was performed with 2 mCi of [99mTc] macroaggregated albumin infused at 1 ml/min and compared with single photon emission CT (SPECT) HAPS and with a new study, CT performed during the slow injection of contrast material through the HAI catheter (HAI-CT). Thirteen patients underwent 16 HAI-CT studies, 14 planar HAPS studies, and 9 SPECT HAPS studies. In 13 of 14 studies (93%) HAI-CT and planar HAPS were in complete agreement as to the perfusion pattern of intrahepatic metastases and normal liver. In nine studies where all modalities were performed, the findings identified by HAI-CT and planar HAPS agreed in all cases, whereas the results of two SPECT scans disagreed with the other studies. With respect to perfusion of individual metastases, 14 of 14 HAI-CT studies, 12 of 13 planar HAPS studies, and 9 of 9 SPECT HAPS studies correctly demonstrated the perfusion status of individual lesions as indicated by the pattern of changes in tumor size determined on CT obtained before and after the perfusion studies. Hepatic artery infusion CT was superior for delineation of individual metastases, particularly small lesions, and for the evaluation of nonperfused portions of the liver. Planar HAPS detected extrahepatic perfusion in four patients, and this was not detected by HAI-CT. We conclude that HAI-CT and scintigraphy are complementary techniques. Hepatic artery infusion CT has advantages for the evaluation of intrahepatic perfusion, and planar HAPS is superior to HAI-CT for the detection of extrahepatic perfusion.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology Department National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carrasquillo
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005119:Extravasation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials; D005260:Female; D006499:Hepatic Artery; D006801:Humans; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial; D008102:Liver Circulation; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D013667:Technetium; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D013667:Technetium