title: Perfusion measurement of the whole upper abdomen of patients with and without liver diseases: initial experience with 320-detector row CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report initial experience of upper abdominal perfusion measurement with 320-detector row CT (CTP) for assessment of liver diseases and therapeutic effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight patients who were suspected of having a liver disease underwent CTP. There were two patients with liver metastases, two with hemangiomas, and four with cirrhosis (disease group). CTP was repeated for four patients with cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after therapy. Hepatic arterial and portal perfusion (HAP and HPP) and arterial perfusion fraction (APF), and arterial perfusion (AP) of pancreas, spleen, stomach, and intra-portal HCC were calculated. For disease-free patients (normal group), the values were compared among liver segments and among pancreatic and gastric parts. The values were compared between groups and before and after therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were found in the normal group except between APFs for liver segments 3 and 5, and fundus and antrum. Mean HAP and APF for the disease group were significantly higher than for the normal group. APF increased after partial splenic embolization or creation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. HPP increased and AP of intra-portal HCC decreased after successful radiotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  320-Detector row CT makes it possible to conduct perfusion measurements of the whole upper abdomen. Our preliminary results suggested that estimated perfusion values have the potential to be used for evaluation of hepatic diseases and therapeutic effects.
authors: Department of Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunokicho, Chuoku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan. k a@hotmail.co.jp
authors: Tomonori
authors: T
authors: Kanda
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Yoshikawa
authors: Yoshiharu
authors: Y
authors: Ohno
authors: Yasuko
authors: Y
authors: Fujisawa
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Kanata
authors: Masato
authors: M
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Yasushi
authors: Y
authors: Seo
authors: Yoshihiko
authors: Y
authors: Yano
authors: Hisanobu
authors: H
authors: Koyama
authors: Kazuhiro
authors: K
authors: Kitajima
authors: Daisuke
authors: D
authors: Takenaka
authors: Kazuro
authors: K
authors: Sugimura
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*