title: Triple-phase computed tomography during arterial portography with bolus tracking for hepatic tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of triple-phase computed tomography during arterial portography (CTAP) using a bolus-tracking technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 60 patients with hepatic tumors: 20 patients with metastatic liver tumors with a normal liver and 40 with hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with liver cirrhosis. The region of interest was set in the portal vein, and CTAP was automatically started after the triggering threshold (180 HU) was reached. Three scans were performed: early phase (E), hepatic parenchymal phase (HP), and late phase (L). The scan start time of E-CTAP was measured. The detection rates of the HCC nodules were evaluated during each CTAP phase.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CTAP was performed by bolus tracking without failure in any of the patients. The mean scan start times in the normal liver group and liver cirrhosis group were 14.3 +/- 1.34 s and 18.5 +/- 2.46 s, respectively, which were significantly different from each other. The detection rates of HCC nodules for E-CTAP, HP-CTAP, and L-CTAP were 29.6%, 100%, and 83.3%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The bolus-tracking technique enabled us to perform CTAP with optimal timing regardless of the portal blood flow dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan. momonga@wakayama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Motoki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.forename: Morio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ikoma
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahara
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takasaka
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minamiguchi
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sonomura
authors.forename: Kazushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kishi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D007459:Iodized Oil; D007472:Iohexol; D007479:Iopamidol; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011172:Portography / Q000379:methods; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; D007459:Iodized Oil; D007479:Iopamidol