Experimental comparison of EOE-13 and perfluoroctylbromide for the CT detection of hepatic metastases.

The relative advantages of EOE-13 and perfluoroctylbromide (PFOB) as contrast agents were evaluated using CT scanning in animals with implanted liver tumors. Three criteria were used to compare these compounds: (1)the density difference between liver and tumor, (2)the presence of opacification of intrahepatic vascular structures, and (3)the presence of ring enhancement around the tumors. All three radiographic features were superior in the scans after injection of 5 g/kg of PFOB. When a reduced dose (1.7 g/kg) of PFOB was used, however, the scans obtained with EOE-13 were of approximately equal quality. It is concluded that if toxicity problems prevent administration of PFOB in humans, then EOE-13 will probably remain the contrast agent of choice for tumor imaging in the liver.