Value of split-bolus multidetector-row CT technique in the quantitative assessment of pancreatic enhancement [Pankreatik tutulumun kantitatif değerlendirilmesinde bölünmüş-bolus multidetektör-dizi BT tekniğinin değeri]

The aim of this study is to quantitatively assess radiation comma, and pancreatic enhancement by split-bolus intravenous injection of contrast material using 64-slice CT. Single-pass split-bolus MDCT of the chest and abdomen was performed in 37 patients (female: 18, male: 9; mean age, 66.1±14.2 years; range 17-80 years) without pancreatic disease. Regions of interest in the pancreatic head, body and tail were drawn, and mean attenuation values for pancreatic parenchymal phase (PPP) of the standard MDCT protocol and split-bolus were calculated. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Mean effective dose by split-bolus was measured. In all MDCT examinations split-bolus protocol allowed acquisition of optimal images. Mean pancreatic enhancement was higher by split-bolus with respect to PPP of standard triphasic MDCT (131.35 HU±20.63 vs 126.1 HU±20.01). Reduction of dose using MDCT split-bolus was approximately 17%. In conclusion MDCT split-bolus protocol provides an optimal pancreatic enhancement, significantly greater than the enhancement of standard MDCT on PPP which confers an advantage for the detection and staging of pancreatic tumors.