A Triphasic Split-bolus Contrast Injection Protocol for Artery-vein Separation During Pulmonary Computed Tomographic...

Accurate artery-vein separation on pulmonary computed tomographic (CT) angiography is desirable for preoperative 3-dimensional image simulation, while using a minimal amount of contrast medium. This study aimed to verify whether a split-bolus contrast enhancement protocol with test-bolus tracking would provide contrast differentiation between the pulmonary arteries (PA) and pulmonary veins (PV) during high-pitch single-pass CT angiography.

Fifty patients underwent pulmonary CT angiography with a triphasic split-bolus injection protocol with the main bolus of contrast medium for 6 seconds, followed by a subsequent bolus of 20% diluted contrast medium/80% saline for another 6 seconds and a 5-second saline chaser. The single-scan timing was individually tailored to the peak enhancement at the left atrium, that is, the pulmonary-venous dominant phase, by monitoring a time-enhancement curve with test bolus.

Time-enhancement curves of the test bolus demonstrated that the interval times between the peak enhancements at the PA and PV were ~6 seconds. For contrast enhancement image analyses with our protocol, the attenuation measurements at the main PA and left atrium were performed. The mean (SD) CT numbers were 246.4 (50.0) HU at the main PA, and 410.8 (59.0) HU at the left atrium. The mean difference in the CT numbers was 164.4 HU (95% confidence interval: 149.2-179.6, P <0.001) between the main PA and left atrium.

Our contrast enhancement protocol for high-pitch single-pass pulmonary CT angiography could provide the desired artery-vein separation while maintaining adequate attenuations of the pulmonary vasculature.