Abstract
Background: To determine the optimal phases of dynamic computed tomography (CT) for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods: Fifty-two patients with 85 HCC nodules were examined by means of unenhanced and triple-phase CT images of the whole liver. The time for obtaining the arterial-phase images was 25–55 s after intravenous bolus injection of contrast material, the time for obtaining the portal venous-phase images was 65–100 s, and the time for obtaining late-phase images was 145 s to 4 min. Detectability of the HCC nodules for all phases was statistically compared.
Results: The detection rates for the arterial- and late-phase images were significantly higher than for the unenhanced and portal venous-phase images (p < 0.01). The combination of arterial- and late-phase images showed the same number of HCC nodules in the same number of patients as did the combination of unenhanced and triple-phase images.
Conclusion: The combination of the arterial- and late-phase imagings was best for detecting HCC nodules.
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Received: 8 July 1998/Revision accepted: 18 November 1998
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Kim, T., Murakami, T., Takahashi, S. et al. Optimal phases of dynamic CT for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma: evaluation of unenhanced and triple-phase images. Abdom Imaging 24, 473–480 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002619900543
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002619900543