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Quantitative evaluation of pancreatic enhancement during dual-phase helical CT
M D Hollett1, M J Jorgensen, R B Jeffrey
1Department of Radiology, Stanford University Hospital, CA 94305, USA.
Purpose:
To determine the improvement in pancreatic enhancement at helical computed tomography (CT) performed with an early delay after administration of contrast material compared with that performed with a standard delay.
Materials And Methods:
Dual-phase helical CT of the abdomen was performed in 120 patients with a 150-mL bolus of contrast material infused at 5 mL/sec. Early and standard delayed scanning was performed beginning at 20 seconds and 49-71 seconds, respectively. Regions of interest were measured in the head, body, and tail of the pancreas in 92 patients. The difference in enhancement between early and standard delayed scanning was calculated.
Results:
Mean pancreatic enhancement was 82 HU +/- 3 (standard error) with an early delay, whereas enhancement on standard delay scans was 62 HU +/- 2 (P < .001). An improvement in enhancement greater than 10 HU was attained in 66 of 92 cases (72%).
Conclusion:
Pancreatic enhancement at helical CT with an early delay after contrast material administration is often significantly greater than the enhancement seen with a standard delay when a monophasic, rapidly infused bolus of contrast material is used.