title: Low contrast dose protocol involving a 100 kVp tube voltage for hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with renal dysfunction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility of a 20 % reduced contrast dose hepatic arterial phase (HAP) CT for hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with 100 kVp.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 97 patients with hypervascular HCC who underwent dynamic CT, including HAP scanning. The 54 patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of ≥60 were scanned with our conventional 120 kVp protocol. The other 43 patients (eGFR < 60) underwent scans using a tube voltage of 100 kVp and a 20 % reduced contrast dose. We compared the estimated effective dose, image noise, tumor-liver contrast (TLC), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the hepatic arterial phase between the two groups using the Student's t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Estimated effective dose and image noise were not significantly different between these groups (p = 0.67 and p = 0.20, respectively). The TLC and CNR were significantly higher for the 100 kVp protocol than for the 120 kVp protocol (52.2 HU ± 17.4 vs 40.8 HU ± 18.6, p < 0.01 and 6.8 ± 2.6 vs 5.5 ± 2.4, p = 0.01, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For hepatic arterial phase CT of hypervascular HCC, 100 kVp scan allows a 20 % reduction in the contrast dose without reduction in image quality compared with a standard 120 kVp CT protocol.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046, Japan. kff00712@gmail.com.|Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan. kff00712@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakaura
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046, Japan.|Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagayama
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046, Japan.|Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kidoh
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa Medical Center, Kameba 854-1, Amakusa, Kumamoto, 863-0046, Japan.|Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Namimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Awai
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Amakusa Medical Center, Amakusa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: 100 kVp; Contrast induced nephropathy; Hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma; Low kilo voltage CT; Renal dysfunction