Computed tomography in the examination of the liver

The examined material comprised 131 control subjects in whom liver diseases were not indications to computed tomography, and 198 patients with liver diseases. The morphological features of the liver were studied in computed tomograms, and radiation attenuation was determined in the liver, spleen, aorta and back muscles as a function of the dose of the contrast medium in dosage range from 0 to 500 mg of I/kg of body weight. The index of liver-spleen attenuation was found to be most stable. Among 198 patients in whom pathological liver tomograms were obtained 17 had primary tumours, 47 had mestatic tumours in the liver, in the remaining cases abscesses, cysts, disseminated and secondary hepatic lesions and cirrhosis were recognized. The signs of these diseases in computed tomography and the limitations of the usefulness of absolute measurements of radiation attenuation are discussed. (author)