[Contrast-enhancement Effects of Dual-peak Contrast Medium Injection Method Using Bolus-tracking Technique in Coronary and Aorta CT Angiography].

OBJECTIVE: We compared the contrast-enhancement effects of the coronary arterial phase and the aortic phase in coronary and aorta computed tomography angiography (CA-CTA) using the bolus-tracking technique-based single-peak contrast medium injection (BT-SPI) method and the bolus-tracking technique-based dual-peak contrast medium injection (BT-DPI) method. METHOD: CA-CTA images were acquired from 30 patients, using BT-SPI and BT-DPI. Regions of interest were selected in the right ventricle and ascending aorta during the coronary arterial phase, and in the aorta during the aortic phase to obtain mean CT values. The mean CT values were used to compare the contrast-enhancement effects of BT-SPI and BT-DPI. RESULTS: The mean CT value of the right ventricle during the coronary arterial phase obtained using BT-SPI (320 Hounsfield unit [HU]) and BT-DPI (83 HU) was significantly different (p<0.05). Using BT-SPI and BT-DPI, the mean CT values of the ascending aorta during the coronary arterial phase were 361 HU and 379 HU, respectively, and those of the aorta during the aortic phase were 436 HU and 437 HU, respectively. The difference in the mean CT values for the aorta between BT-SPI and BT-DPI during the coronary arterial and aortic phases was insignificant. CONCLUSION: The retention of the contrast medium in the right ventricle during the coronary arterial phase using BT-DPI was lower than that using BT-SPI. BT-DPI showed substantial contrast-enhancement effects in both the coronary arterial and aortic phases.