Radiology, Vol 184, 379-382, Copyright © 1992 by Radiological Society of North America

ARTICLES

Effect of varying rates of low-osmolarity contrast media injection for hepatic CT: correlation with indocyanine green transit time

BH Harmon, LL Berland and JY Lee
Department of Radiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35233.

Contrast enhancement in hepatic computed tomography (CT) is related to multiple factors, including the amount of iodine injected, the rate of injection, and body weight. Fifty patients were randomized into two groups: 19 patients (group 1) received a 160-mL dose of Optiray 320 (ioversol) at 3.0 mL/sec, and 31 (group 2) received the same dose at 4.5 mL/sec. Indocyanine green dye transit time, peak enhancement, delayed enhancement, time to peak enhancement, age, and weight were statistically analyzed. Time to peak enhancement was significantly shorter in group 2 than in group 1 (62 seconds vs 73 seconds, respectively; P less than .01). Peak contrast enhancement averaged 88 HU +/- 19 in group 1 and 99 HU +/- 17 in group 2 (P = .06). Circulation time did not correlate with peak enhancement and thus does not assist in tailoring contrast medium injection for hepatic CT. Injection of contrast material at 3.0 and 4.5 mL/sec provides greater hepatic CT contrast enhancement than previously reported, with no significant risk of subcutaneous extravasation when injection is monitored carefully. These higher levels of contrast enhancement may assist in detecting and characterizing hepatic lesions.

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