Increased reproducibility of semiautomatic 3D-segmentation over 2D-measurements for quantification of specific iodine uptake of hepatic colorectal metastases in dual-energy CT

Abstract

With its capability to quantify absolute iodine concentrations, Dual-Energy CT (DECT) promises to add considerable diagnostic information in the field of abdominal oncologic imaging (Agrawal et al., 2014). Iodine maps contain quantifiable information about tumor vascularity and viability and may be used to evaluate treatment response (Apfaltrer et al., 2012; Chen et al., 2014). Hence, reproducible measurements are essential for further treatment decisions. Similar to the measurement of tumor size, the analysis of iodine uptake has hitherto relied on measurements in 2 dimensions (2D) (Zhang et al., 2010). However, recent technological advances enable three-dimensional (3D)-measurements. The aim of this study was to compare interobserver reproducibility of a semiautomatic tool for 3D-segmentation and quantification of iodine uptake in hepatic colorectal metastases with 2D-measurements in DECT.