Pulmonary 64-MDCT angiography with 50 mL of iodinated contrast material in an unselected patient population: a feasible protocol

Abstract

ObjectiveTo propose a protocol for pulmonary angiography using 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (64-MDCT) with 50 mL of iodinated contrast material, in an unselected patient population, as well as to evaluate vascular enhancement and image quality.Materials and MethodsWe evaluated 29 patients (22-86 years of age). The body mass index ranged from 19.0 kg/m2 to 41.8 kg/m2. Patients underwent pulmonary CT angiography in a 64-MDCT scanner, receiving 50 mL of iodinated contrast material via venous access at a rate of 4.5 mL/s. Bolus tracking was applied in the superior vena cava. Two experienced radiologists assessed image quality and vascular enhancement.ResultsThe mean density was 382 Hounsfield units (HU) for the pulmonary trunk; 379 and 377 HU for the right and left main pulmonary arteries, respectively; and 346 and 364 HU for the right and left inferior pulmonary arteries, respectively. In all patients, subsegmental arteries were analyzed. There were streak artifacts from contrast material in the superior vena cava in all patients. However, those artifacts did not impair the image analysis.ConclusionOur findings suggest that pulmonary angiography using 64-MDCT with 50 mL of iodinated contrast can produce high quality images in unselected patient populations.

Optimal Monochromatic Energy Levels in Dual-Energy Spectral CT Pulmonary Angiography with Low Contrast Medium Dosage

“…However, these CM have not been fully utilized in the contrast enhancement of the pulmonary artery. In recent years, some researchers rely on a variety of progres-sive techniques and methods, which help to optimize the CM volume (13,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). The research conducted by Wu et al (20) showed that the CTPA image quality and diagnostic requirements are not affected when using 30 mL CM.…”