CT angiography of the lower extremities can be incorporated into whole-body CTA with a reduced contrast load but no reduction in image quality, according to research presented by Dr. Bryan Foster of the Boston University School of Medicine.
CT angiography of the lower extremities can be incorporated into whole-body CTA with a reduced contrast load but no reduction in image quality, according to research presented by Dr. Bryan Foster of the Boston University School of Medicine.
Foster was awarded the Trainee Research Prize - Resident for the work.
Total contrast load in multitrauma patients can be reduced using this method.
Foster's study evaluated the use of a single contrast bolus to incorporate the lower extremities into whole-body CTA. Intravenous contrast was administered at a rate of 4 to 5 mL/sec for a total of 100 mL. Scan delay for the CTA was fixed at 25 seconds.
Of 151 studies performed over the 22-month study period, eight (5.3%) were nondiagnostic due to improper timing or because the CT scanner moved faster than the bolus.
No chest or abdominopelvic exams suffered from poor quality as a result of performing CTA. Eighteen (11.9%) of the 151 integrated CT angiograms were positive for major arterial injury in 27 individual arterial segments.
