AJR 2000;174:455-461
Urban Bruce A., McGhie Patricia A., Fishman Elliot K.
Helical CT is routinely used in evaluation of the abdomen and pelvis. Advantages of helical CT scanning, including rapid volumetric data acquisition and optimal contrast enhancement, enable accurate diagnosis of a wide spectrum of disease processes [1]. However, early arterial phase scanning can result in various phenomena that are potential diagnostic pitfalls if not appropriately recognized [2-6]. Many of these pitfalls result from early parenchymal enhancement or partial vascular opacification—especially in the parenchymal organs of the upper abdomen, most notably in the liver. In addition, the appearance of true disease during the arterial phase can at times be misleading or nonspecific. This report provides an overview of potential pitfalls of arterial phase imaging of the liver, pancreas, and spleen.