The effect of fatty infiltration on the liver tissue enhancement during portal phase computed tomography.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate the presence of fatty liver and the enhancement value of liver tissue during portal phase computed tomography.


METHODS
Liver tissue enhancements during portal phase computed tomography were measured in 16 fatty liver and 35 control patients. All patients intravenously received 100 mL of non-ionic contrast material (320 mg iodine/ mL) at a rate of 3 mL/second, and the image acquisition started at 70 seconds. Attenuation values were measured on the 80-second portal phase images and the corresponding unenhanced images, and the contrast enhancement value (HU) of the liver tissue was calculated. Adjusted enhancement values were also calculated with the following equation: adjusted enhancement value = enhancement value (HU)/[dose (grams of iodine)/body weight (kg)].


RESULTS
The contrast enhancement value was significantly reduced in the fatty liver patients compared with the normal controls (37.0 +/- 7.2 vs 49.8 +/- 12.0 HU; P < .0001). This difference was still significant in adjusted enhancement value (80.1 +/- 13.7 vs 93.6 +/- 23.0 HU kg g(-1); P = .01).


CONCLUSIONS
The liver tissue with fatty infiltration was less enhanced than controls, probably because of decreased portal perfusion.
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003287:Contrast Media; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011168:Portal System / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D003287:Contrast Media