Dynamic cranial computed tomography: preliminary results

Recent software additions to a CT scanner with a continuously rotating tube-detector system allow uninterrupted data collection after rapid intravenous contrast material injection. The highly flexible computer program can accommodate as many as 16 consecutive 3 sec scans, or various time intervals can be inserted between individual scans. A variety of intracranial lesions was studied in 35 patients using this dynamic scanning technique and the enhancement of normal gray and white matter was evaluated. Potential applications of this technique are discussed, with emphasis on the possibility of differentiating certain cerebral lesions by their early enhancement patterns and evaluating cerebrovascular occlusive disease.