Comparison of Standard and Quadruple-Phase Contrast Material Injection for Artifacts, Image Quality, and Radiation Dose in the Evaluation of Head and Neck Cancer Metastases.

PURPOSE

To investigate opacification of head and neck vasculature during computed tomography (CT) of supraclavicular lymph nodes with a quadruple-phase contrast media and saline dual-injection protocol.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study was institutional review board approved. In 180 consecutive patients, routine head and neck CT was performed with one of two protocols: protocol A, craniocaudal scan direction with 100 mL of contrast material injected intravenously as a single bolus; or protocol B, 100 mL of contrast material injected in four phases (phases 1-2, 60 mL of contrast material and saline injected at 2.5 mL/sec; phases 3-4, 40 mL of contrast material and saline injected at 2.5 mL/sec); both protocols had a fixed scan delay of 70 seconds. Attenuation of supraclavicular arteries and veins was measured with arteriovenous contrast ratio (AVCR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Effective dose was calculated. Data were compared with the two-sample t test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and visual grading characteristic analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Arterial attenuation was up to 20% higher (P < .05) after protocol B (mean ± standard deviation, 234.5 HU ± 33.2) than protocol A (160.0 HU ± 29.5). Venous system attenuation was significantly lower in protocol B (164.0 HU ± 17.0) than in protocol A (664.0 HU ± 12.0), with up to a 75% reduction (P < .0001). Protocol B generated significant (P < .0001) improvements in AVCR at multiple anatomic sites. At all anatomic levels, mean CNR with protocol B (34.4 HU ± 9.0) was significantly higher than that with protocol A (14.5 HU ± 14.0) (P < .0313). Effective dose was significantly reduced with protocol B (2.6 mSv ± 0.4 vs 3.2 mSv ± 0.8 with protocol A; P < .0041). ROC analysis demonstrated significantly higher area under the ROC curve for protocol B (P < .0022), with interreader agreement increasing from poor to excellent in lymph node visualization.

CONCLUSION

Significant improvement in lymph node visualization at the cervicothoracic junction is achieved with a quadruple-phase contrast media injection protocol.