Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Abdominal and Pelvic CT Image Quality Using Iopromide With Different Concentrations of Iodine (300 and 370 mg I/mL).

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of MDCT images obtained using iopromide with two different concentrations of iodine (300 and 370 mg I/mL) in daily clinical settings.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients from 38 hospitals in China undergoing abdominal or pelvic CT with iopromide were prospectively recruited. MDCT was performed using iopromide with an iodine concentration of 300 or 370 mg I/mL. CT quality image was graded as excellent, good, adequate, and poor. Objective indicators were the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Outcomes were compared according to organ studied, tumor type (benign vs malignant), saline usage, and type of MDCT (16-MDCT vs 64-MDCT).

RESULTS: A total of 4506 patients (63.7% men) with a mean (± SD) age of 56.3 ± 14.1 years and mean body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) of 23.2 ± 3.3 were included. Iopromide with 300 mg I/mL was used for 3042 patients (67.5%), and 370 mg I/mL was used for 1464 patients (32.2%). A total of 1847 scans (41.0%) had excellent image quality, 2454 (54.5%) had good quality, 176 (3.9%) had adequate quality, and 29 (0.6%) had poor quality. No differences were noted between CT scans that did or did not use saline, 16-MDCT versus 64-MDCT scans, and 300 versus 370 mg I/mL iopromide. Variations in the CNR and SNR were noted between the two iodine concentrations with respect to other parameters examined.

CONCLUSION: Iopromide with both concentrations of iodine provided acceptable image quality, though according to CNR and SNR, one or the other may provide better quality in different situations.