| Summary: | Background: Computed tomography (CT) scanning is a diagnostic imaging
procedure that uses x-rays to build images of the body. CT scanning is an extremely
common imaging modality in modern medicine. Contrast enhancement is the key
component in CT scanning which helps to distinguish abnormal from normal body
structure. Numerous interacting factors can affect the quality of CECT images, which
may be divided into three categories: patient, contrast medium and CT scanning. A
lack of standardization has resulted in heterogeneous dosing regimens across
radiology practices. The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of the two
different scanning protocols mentioned above on the contrast enhancement and image
quality of CECT abdomen.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hospital Universiti Sains
Malaysia (HUSM), Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia and Advanced Medical and
Dental Institute (AMDI), Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia on 336 patients aged 18 and
above with contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) scan of abdomen between January 2017
and December 2019. Images of the CECT abdomen using different protocol were
collected retrospectively from these two centres: 168 patients from HUSM, using fixed
contrast volume with fixed time-delay technique, and 168 patients from AMDI using
weight-based contrast volume with automatic bolus tracking technique. Quantitative
assessment was performed by measuring the degree of enhancement in region of
interest and were quantified in Hounsfield unit (HU). Mean enhancement values from
each protocol was assessed and compared using independent t-test. Qualitative
assessment was performed in which the images will be graded by radiologist using 4
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