Diatrizoate CT distribution kinetics: a study of human tissue characterization.

Diatrizoate distribution volume (DDV) is a property of living tissue which characterizes the distribution of diatrizoate contrast material within the tissue. This study compiles DDV and enhancement data from computed tomography (CT) of normal human adults. Tissues examined include liver, spleen, muscle, fat, and renal cortex. Four abnormal tissues, a cirrhotic liver, a liver infiltrated with metastatic colon carcinoma, and two examples of renal malignant lymphoma, were used for comparison. Time-DDV and time-enhancement values were generated for the normal tissues after a bolus of intravenous diatrizoate. The CT-DDV appears to be a potentially reliable indicator of diffuse organ pathology.