title: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a comparison of automatic bolus tracking and empirical scan delay.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the efficacy of automatic bolus tracking in multidetector row CT (MDCT) for pancreatic adenocarcinoma as compared with standard scan delay using the fixed duration contrast injection technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-nine patients with pancreatic adenocarcinomas underwent three-phase enhanced CT with an individualized scan delay as determined by automatic bolus tracking (protocol 1) or an empiric scan delay (protocol 2). We evaluated enhancement of the aorta, portal vein, hepatic parenchyma, pancreatic parenchyma, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma during each phase. Two radiologists graded the conspicuity of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the pancreatic parenchymal phase. The results for the different groups were statistically compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pancreatic parenchymal enhancement (mean ± standard deviation, 100.2 HU ± 17.6 vs. 88.5 HU ± 22.1; P < 0.05) and tumor-to-pancreas contrast (mean ± standard deviation, 75.3 HU ± 25.0 vs. 63.1 HU ± 24.1; P < 0.05) were significantly greater in protocol 1 than in protocol 2 during pancreatic parenchymal phase. Qualitative results correlated well with quantitative results (reviewer 1: R (s) = 0.78, P < 0.001; reviewer 2: R (s) = 0.66, P < 0.001)
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of automatic bolus tracking with MDCT can significantly improve the degree of contrast enhancement in the pancreatic parenchyma and tumor-to-pancreas conspicuity.
authors: Department of Radiology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima City, 890-8544, Japan. yoshihiko2002jp@yahoo.co.jp
authors: Yoshihiko
authors: Y
authors: Fukukura
authors: Koji
authors: K
authors: Takumi
authors: Takuro
authors: T
authors: Kamiyama
authors: Toshikazu
authors: T
authors: Shindo
authors: Ryutaro
authors: R
authors: Higashi
authors: Masayuki
authors: M
authors: Nakajo
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003287:Contrast Media