CT Hepatic Perfusion Imaging Technique and Its Application in Cirrhosis

Objective To estimate hepatic blood flow with CT single-slice dynamic imaging, to introduce its technical principles.Materials and Methods Fifteen cases with clinically- or laboratory-proved cirrhosis were collected, of which 10 were classified into Child B and 5 into Child C. The control group included 13 individuals without hepatic diseases. Single-slice dynamic enhanced CT scanning at a level containing the liver, spleen, aorta and portal vein was carried out in all cases. Time-density curve of the region of interest (ROI) was obtained and the hepatic blood flow, including arterial, portal and total perfusion of the liver, was calculated. The hepatic perfusion index was assessed. Results In control group, the hepatic, portal and total perfusion were 0.2823±0.0969 ml/min/ml, 1.1788±0.4004 ml/min/ml and 1.4563±0.4439 ml/min/ml, respectively. Hepatic perfusion index was 19.73%±5.81%. In cirrhosis group, the portal perfusion (0.6121±0.2544 ml/min/ml) and total perfusion (0.8426±0.3242 ml/min/ml) were decreased, while the hepatic perfusion (27.16%±12.75%) was a little bit increased although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.065). Conclusion CT hepatic perfusion imaging can quantitatively estimate the parameters of hepatic blood flow.