Delayed Enhancement of Ascites after Iodine Contrast Administration Assessed with Dual-energy Computed Tomography: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT

We report a case of 71-year-old woman with lung cancer and high-attenuation ascites (HAA) due to iodine contrast material (ICM). The patient underwent two sequential CT scans at interval of 4 h between examinations by using ICM. The second scan was obtained by dual-energy CT (DE-CT), yielding the virtual non-contrast (VNC) image and iodine map, which were used to evaluate HAA. The VNC image revealed ascites with water density, and HAA was thought to contain iodine because the attenuation of ascites around the liver was similar to that of the spleen on the iodine map. The VNC image and iodine map using DE-CT were useful in differentiating HAA due to iodine (delayed enhancement of ascites) from hemorrhagic ascites in this patient.