Ict256

All patients underwent abdominal CT at our institution. Vendors of CT equipment included GE Healthcare (Lightspeed 16, Lightspeed 64, Discovery 750, and Brightspeed Elite, Waukesha, WI, USA), Philips Healthcare (Brilliance 16 and ICT256, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), and Toshiba Medical Systems (Aquilion One, Otawara, Japan). The CT tube voltage was 120 or 140 kVp, and the automatically controlled tube current was 110–720 mAs. The CT scan covered from the diaphragm to the pubic symphysis. If possible, fast for 4-6 hours before the scan, followed by ingestion of 1000–1500 ml of 2.5% mannitol water solution orally 40–60 min prior to the scan. Some patients underwent an unenhanced CT, followed by contrast-enhanced imaging; others were scanned with IV contrast only. Contrast-enhanced CT was performed after a rapid bolus of iopromide (Ultravist 370, 370 mg/mL, Bayer Schering Pharma, Berlin, Germany) (1.5 mL/kg) at a rate of 3–5 mL/s, followed by a 20-mL saline flush using a power injector. Images were routinely obtained in the arterial, intestinal, or portal venous phases at 30, 45, or 70 s, respectively.