title: Minimally Required Iodine Dose for the Detection of Hypervascular Hepatocellular Carcinoma on 80-kVp CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of our study was to determine the iodine dose per unit of body weight (BW) or body surface area (BSA) that is minimally required to detect hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on 80-kVp CT.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eleven patients (78 men and 33 women; mean age, 68 years; age range, 43-85 years) with chronic hepatitis were randomized into three groups with different iodine loads (0.5, 0.4, and 0.3 g I/kg BW) and underwent contrast-enhanced CT at 80 kVp. Enhancement of the liver and of hypervascular HCCs was quantitatively and qualitatively assessed on hepatic arterial, portal venous, and equilibrium phase images and compared between the groups. Values for iodine dose per unit of BSA (g I/m(2)) were also computed and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences in the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of hypervascular HCCs in any phase were found between the groups (p = 0.34-0.99). In the portal venous phase, the mean increase in hepatic contrast enhancement (ΔHU) of the 0.5 g I/kg group (80.3 HU) was higher than those of the 0.4 g I/kg (63.4 HU) and 0.3 g I/kg (53.3 HU) groups (p < 0.001). Linear correlation equations for the increase in hepatic contrast enhancement were as follows: ΔHU = 5.9 + 150.0 × IL(BW) (r = 0.69, p < 0.001), where IL(BW) is the iodine load per unit of BW (g I/kg), and ΔHU = 13.0 + 3.68 × IL(BSA) (r = 0.66, p < 0.001), where IL(BSA) is the iodine load pre unit of BSA (g I/m(2)).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The minimal iodine dose required to achieve a tumor-to-liver CNR that is acceptable for the detection of hypervascular HCCs on 80-kVp CT was 0.3 g I/kg BW or 11.0 g I/m(2) BSA.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, 501-1194 Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goshima
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, 501-1194 Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanematsu
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, 501-1194 Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, 501-1194 Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, 501-1194 Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawada
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, 501-1194 Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Kyongtae T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Bae
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001835:Body Weight; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003287:Contrast Media; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007455:Iodine; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007455:Iodine
keywords: CT; contrast media; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); liver