Comparison of High and Medium Iodine Concentrations of Contrast Materials for Preoperative CT Studies in Breast Cancer Patients

Hisashi Yanaihara, Yusuke Inoue, Kazunori Nagahara, Hirofumi Hata, Reiko Woodhams

Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
Department of Radiology, Kitasato Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Radiology, Kitasato University Hospital, Sagamihara, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ojmi.2012.23019                

Abstract

We compared the contrast effect of high and medium iodine-concentration contrast materials for preoperative CT eva- luation of breast cancer patients. Female breast cancer patients who underwent enhanced CT of the chest and upper abdomen before surgery were analyzed retrospectively. High (370 mg I/mL, 100 mL) or medium (300 mg I/mL, 125 mL) concentrations of contrast material were injected for 60 sec, followed by saline flush, and postcontrast CT images were obtained 90 sec after contrast injection. CT values were assessed for the breast tumor, normal breast parenchyma, liver, aorta, and muscle. For the high and medium concentration agents, 45 and 49 patients were analyzed, respectively. No significant differences between the two contrast agents were found in terms of CT values of the breast tumor, normal breast parenchyma, liver, aorta, or muscle. The tumor-background differences in CT values did not differ significantly between the two agents. A comparable contrast effect was indicated in single-phase CT of breast cancer patients between high and medium iodine-concentration contrast material when the total iodine dose and injection duration were identical.

Keywords

CT; Contrast Material; Concentration; Breast Cancer

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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