Objective: To compare the quality of contrast enhancement and hepatic CT images acquired using bolus tracking technique at two different time points and those acquired with fixed scan delay technique using a previous bolus tracking data.
Materials and methods: Fifty patients who underwent 3 different hepatic CT exams (25-s fixed injection of 600 mg iodine (I)/kg or 100mL of 370 mg I/mL nonionic contrast medium) were enrolled. The first and second exams were performed with a bolus tracking technique. The third exam was performed with a fixed scan delay technique using the first exam data. Differences in attenuation values in the abdominal organs were examined and evaluated visually on hepatic arterial phase images.
Results: There was no significant difference in the mean 50-HU threshold times between the first and second bolus tracking exams with intra-patient differences between them (1.3±0.9 s). No significant intra-patient differences were noted in organ attenuation and visual evaluation on hepatic arterial phase images between the 3 exams.
Conclusion: The fixed scan delay technique using a previous bolus tracking data is feasible for hepatic CT exams to follow up hepatocellular carcinoma.
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