Ruyi Bao MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Zhiyong Li, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Ailian Liu MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To quantitatively investigate the blood flow of esophageal wall and its change induced by liver cirrhosis by measuring effective iodine content (eIC) in the lower esophagus with spectral CT imaging.

Thirty-five patients with liver cirrhosis (including 15 cases compensated cirrhosis and 20 cases decompensated cirrhosis) and sixteen normal volunteers, who had no detectable intrinsic lung and heart disease, underwent GSI scanning to collect iodine-water concentrations with a standard injection protocol. We measured eIC values of the esophageal wall in the lower esophagus. The hepatic artery index（HAI）was then calculated by the changes of the iodine-water concentrations in liver parenchyma from the artery to portal vein phase. We quantitatively evaluated the difference of eIC values between normal volunteers and different type cirrhosis by T-test and the correlation between eIC values and HAI with pearson correlation test.

Mean eIC values of the esophageal wall in the lower esophagus in decompensated cirrhosis group, compensated group, normal control group were 38.00±11.72, 15.64±9.60 and 11.18±4.62 mg/ml, respectively. Mean eIC values in decompensated cirrhosis group was significantly higher than that in compensated group (t=5.13, p=0.00) and that in normal group (t=7.14, p=0.00), indicating more blood flow of the esophageal wall by decompensated cirrhosis. Mean HAI in decompensated and compensated group was 0.28±0.20 and 0.15±0.90 respectively. There was strong positive correlation between HAI and mean eIC values (r=0.43, P=0.04).

The findings of this study suggest that effective iodine content of the esophageal wall may reflect esophageal blood perfusion, which is useful to quantitatively evaluate esophagus blood flow change and esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Esophageal varices have been recognized as an important complication in patients with cirrhosis. A better quantitative evaluation of pathophysiological change underlying cirrhosis helps to guide its treatment. Spectral CT imaging may become a new quantitative tool.

Bao, R, Li, Z, Liu, A, Iodine Content Measurement with Spectral CT Imaging as a New Quantitative Tool? Assess the Esophageal Microcirculation in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14012609.html