Improved visualization of a fine intrahepatic biliary duct on drip infusion cholangiography‐computed tomography: Impact of knowledge‐based iterative model reconstruction

Abstract

Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the visualization of fine biliary ducts with knowledge‐based iterative model reconstruction (IMR) in low‐dose drip infusion CT cholangiography (DIC‐CT) as compared with filtered back projection (FBP) and hybrid iterative reconstruction (iDose⁴). Methods Thirty‐eight patients underwent DIC‐CT for living‐donor liver transplantation. CT was performed about 20 minutes after the end of the infusion of meglumine iotroxate (100 mL). Images were reconstructed using FBP, iDose⁴ and IMR, and 1 mm slice images at fixed window level and width were prepared for assessment. Two reviewers independently evaluated the quality of visualization of the fine biliary ducts of the caudate lobe (B1) using a five‐point scale. The visualization scores of three reconstructed images were compared using the Kruskal‐Wallis test and Mann‐Whitney U test. Results For reviewer 1, the visualization score of IMR was significantly higher than that of FBP (p=0.012) and tended to be higher than that of iDose⁴ (p=0.078). For reviewer 2, the visualization score of IMR was significantly higher than those of both FBP and iDose⁴ (p4. DIC‐CT reconstructed with IMR may be useful to the anatomical grasp of biliary tracts in cases of hepatectomy.