COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY A method for improving iodine contrast enhancement in abdominal computed tomography: experimental study in a pig model Peter B. Noël & Edgar Bendik & Daniela Münzel & Armin Schneider & Liran Goshen & Asher Gringauz & Yechiel Lamash & Alain Vlassenbroek & Alexander A. Fingerle & Ernst J. Rummeny & Martin Dobritz Received: 5 June 2012 / Revised: 21 August 2012 / Accepted: 3 September 2012 / Published online: 19 October 2012 # European Society of Radiology 2012 Abstract Objectives To investigate the improvement in diagnostic image quality of an iodine contrast enhancement tool in an animal model for computed tomography (CT). Methods One pig was examined over several consecutive days with a CT system. The quantity of iodine as contrast medium (0.6–1.2 ml/kg) varied among different acquisi- tions. The contrast enhancement in the reconstructed slices was improved via a post-processing tool. The post- processing tool is an algorithm designed for enhancement of iodine contrast in CT data. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the detectability between soft-tissue and vascular structures, and quantitative image analysis were assessed. Results When reducing the quantity of contrast medium, our subjective image quality assessment revealed that it is visually possible to generate similar enhancement with less iodine. This observation was confirmed quantitatively in our CNR results. While employing the algorithm, the CNR between vascular structures and subcutaneous fat signifi- cantly improved. For unenhanced regions, we identified no change in HU values and no significant strengthening of artefacts. Conclusions With post-processing there was a significantly improved diagnostic image quality compared with non- processed data. In particular, similar contrast enhancement could be achieved with a reduced quantity of contrast me- dium injected during the CT acquisition. Key Points • Enhancement with iodine based contrast agents is an essential part of CT • A new post-processing tool significantly improves diag- nostic image quality • It may also help reduce the iodine load required for intravenous enhancement. Keywords Computed tomography . Contrast enhancement . Contrast-enhanced computed tomography . Contrast agent . Non-ionic iodine Introduction In contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) it is well known that the use of non-ionic iodine as a contrast medium can cause acute allergic-like reactions. These reactions range from mild symptoms such as urticaria and itching to more severe reactions such as cardiopulmonary arrest [1, 2]. One of the most serious side effects of iodine-based agents is contrast- medium-induced nephropathy [3–8]. Nash et al. [8] reported P. B. Noël (*) : E. Bendik : D. Münzel : A. A. Fingerle : E. J. Rummeny : M. Dobritz Department of Radiology, Technische Universität München, Ismaningerstr. 22, 81675 München, Germany e-mail: peter.noel@tum.de A. Schneider Research Group Minimal Invasive Therapy and Interventions (MITI), Department of Surgery, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany L. Goshen : A. Gringauz : Y. Lamash Philips Medical Systems Technologies Ltd., Advanced Technologies Center, Haifa, Israel A. Vlassenbroek Philips HealthCare, Brussels, Belgium Eur Radiol (2013) 23:985–990 DOI 10.1007/s00330-012-2668-y