Semiautomatic Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Virtual Hepatic Volumetry for Intra-Arterial Therapies.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate a software simulating the perfused liver volume from virtual selected embolization points on proximal enhanced cone-beam computed tomography (CT) liver angiography data set using selective cone-beam CT as a reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-eight selective/proximal cone-beam CT couples in 46 patients referred for intra-arterial liver treatment at 2 recruiting centers were retrospectively included. A reference selective volume (RSV) was calculated from the selective cone-beam CT by manual segmentation and was used as a reference standard. The virtual perfusion volume (VPV) was then obtained using Liver ASSIST Virtual Parenchyma software on proximal cone-beam CT angiography using the same injection point as for selective cone-beam CT. RSV and VPV were then compared as absolute, relative, and signed volumetric errors (ABSErr, RVErr, and SVErr, respectively), whereas their spatial correspondence was assessed using the Dice similarity coefficient. RESULTS: The software was technically successful in automatically computing VPV in 74 of 78 (94.8%) cases. In the 74 analyzed couples, the median RSV was not significantly different from the median VPV (394 mL [196-640 mL] and 391 mL [192-620 mL], respectively; P = .435). The median ABSErr, RVErr, SVErr, and Dice similarity coefficient were 40.9 mL (19.9-97.7 mL), 12.8% (5%-22%), 9.9 mL (-49.0 to 40.4 mL), and 80% (76%-84%), respectively. No significant ABSErr, RVErr, SVErr, and Dice similarity coefficient differences were found between the 2 centers (P = .574, P = .612, P = .416, and P = .674, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Perfusion hepatic volumes simulated on proximal enhanced cone-beam CT using the virtual parenchyma software are numerically and spatially similar to those manually obtained on selective cone-beam CT.