title: Quantitative dual energy CT measurements in rabbit VX2 liver tumors: Comparison to perfusion CT measurements and histopathological findings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the correlation between quantitative dual energy CT and perfusion CT measurements in rabbit VX2 liver tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was approved by the institutional animal care and use committee at our institution. Nine rabbits with VX2 liver tumors underwent contrast-enhanced dual energy CT and perfusion CT. CT attenuation for the tumors and normal liver parenchyma and tumor-to-liver ratio were obtained at the 140kVp, 80kVp, average weighted images and dual energy CT iodine maps. Quantitative parameters for the viable tumor and adjacent liver were measured with perfusion CT. The correlation between the enhancement values of the tumor in iodine maps and perfusion CT parameters of each tumor was analyzed. Radiation dose from dual energy CT and perfusion CT was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Enhancement values for the tumor were higher than that for normal liver parenchyma at the hepatic arterial phase (P<0.05). The highest tumor-to-liver ratio was obtained in hepatic arterial phase iodine map. Hepatic blood flow of the tumor was higher than that for adjacent liver (P<0.05). Enhancement values of hepatic tumors in the iodine maps positively correlated with permeability of capillary vessel surface (r=0.913, P<0.001), hepatic blood flow (r=0.512, P=0.010), and hepatic blood volume (r=0.464, P=0.022) at the hepatic arterial phases. The effective radiation dose from perfusion CT was higher than that from DECT (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The enhancement values for viable tumor tissues measured in iodine maps were well correlated to perfusion CT measurements in rabbit VX2 liver tumors. Compared with perfusion CT, dual energy CT of the liver required a lower radiation dose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, 305 Zhongshan East Road, Xuanwu District, Nangjing, Jiangsu Province 210002, China. kevinzhanglongjiang@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Long Jiang
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shengyong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Jiandong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: Guang Ming
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D015900:Radiography, Dual-Energy Scanned Projection / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*