Clinical Applications of Computed Tomography (CT) Perfusion Imaging in Gastric Cancer

摘要

Computed tomography (CT) perfusion imaging is a functional examination technology. In this study, we assessed the characteristics of variously differentiated gastric cancers on CT perfusion imaging, specific perfusion parameter values, and potential clinical applications in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Fifty patients with pathologically confirmed gastric cancer were recruited and all subjects underwent abdominal examinations on a 64-slice spiral CT perfusion imaging scanner. The acquired volume data were used for calculations, mapping, and analysis by using an abdominal tumor perfusion protocol in the CT perfusion software package to measure 4 parameters: blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), mean transit time (MTT), and the permeability surface (PS). The patients were divided into 3 groups: group 1, well defferentialted gastric adnocarcinoma (n = 10); group 2, moderately differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma (n = 24); group 3, poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma (n = 16). Comparing the 3 groups, differences between the well-differentiated group and the moderate differentiation group were all statistically significant for BF, By, and PS (p < 0.05), as well, differences between the well-differentiated group and the poor differentiation group were all statistically significant for BF, BV, and PS (p < 0.05); moreover, BV and PS values demonstrated high statistical significance (p < 0.01). Abdominal CT perfusion imaging is a functional imaging technology with potential applications in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer from the perspective of hemodynamics. BV and PS values could serve as indicators of the degree of malignancy and aid in prognostic assessments of gastric cancer.