Objective:: To compare the ability of test scans with undiluted and diluted contrast medium (CM) to predict contrast enhancement (CE) on cardiovascular CT angiography (CCTA) images of infants.
Methods:: We divided 120 consecutive infants who had undergone CCTA on a 64-MDCT scanner into two equal groups. In one group, the test bolus consisted of undiluted CM [protocol 1 (P1): injection volume = total body weight × 1.2 ml, injection time 5 s], in the other (P2) it was total body weight × 4.0 ml (CM 15%, saline 85%, injection time 16 s). CE on the test scans was recorded on a 3-point visual scale. We investigated the relation for CE in the pulmonary artery and ascending aorta between the P1 or P2 test scans and CCTA images.
Results:: While peak CE was observed on all test scans performed with P2, in approximately 10 % of test scans obtained under P1, peak CE was not visualized. There was a strong positive linear correlation for CE of the pulmonary artery and ascending aorta on P2 images (r = 0.61 and r = 0.63, p < 0.01); under P1 the correlation was weak (r = 0.26 and r = 0.33, p < 0.01).
Conclusion:: Test-scanning with diluted CM revealed the optimal CE peak time and was useful for predicting CE on CCTA scans of the pulmonary artery and ascending aorta in infants with congenital heart disease.
Advances in knowledge:: Diluted test scans help to select the optimal scan parameters for the CCTA study of infants by using contrast-to-noise-based scanning.