128 slice ct scanner

Imaging parameters were obtained from baseline and the most recent chest CT scan after initiation of ICIs. Two CT scans of all patients were acquired on a 128-slice CT scanner (Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany) using the same parameters. Patients were placed in a supine position and received sufficient breathing training before scanning. The scanning range was from the level of the upper thoracic inlet to below the costophrenic angle; the tube voltage was 120kVp and the tube current was automatically adjusted. All CT images were reconstructed using a standard soft convolution kernel with a slice thickness of 1 mm and an interval of 1 mm.

All animals underwent CTPI using a 128-slice CT scanner (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). The abdominal belt was used to minimize motion artifacts. Prior to CTPI, an unenhanced scan of the entire abdomen was performed to identify the small intestine. CTPI was performed at the baseline (before SMA clamping), in the 4 IR groups, 4 SO groups, the ischemia group,in a continuous volume scan pattern at 3.5-s intervals using the "abdomen VPCT long mode." The scan range extended from the middle to the lower abdomen, which included the majority of the small intestine, with a coverage of 16.8 cm. The scan began at 5 s after an intravenous injection of 50 ml of non-ionic iodinated contrast medium (iopromide, 370 mg I/ml; Bayer Healthcare, Berlin, Germany) at a rate of 5 ml/s using a power injector, followed by a saline flush (injection of 40 ml of saline). Acquisition lasted for 54.08 s with parameters of 80 kV, 110 mA, and 6 mm collimation.

The CAC score was assessed from CCT scans with a 128-slice CT scanner (Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Germany). The examination was performed in supine position (tube voltage 120 kV, tube current 50 mAs, tube rotation time of 0.28 s) with a slice thickness of 3 mm and without intravenous contrast administration. Two observers (medical student TT and senior cardiologist SEJ) independently marked all calcified lesions with relation to the coronary arteries distinguishable from the aorta. The imaging analysis software SIEMENS Workstation syngo.via was used to calculate the CAC score as a sum of scores for all marked lesions with a minimum attenuation of 130 Hounsfield Units and a minimum area of two contiguous voxels according to the Agatston method [29 (link)]. This method is a well-established standardized CAC scoring method and is considered the gold standard for quantification of CAC [23 (link), 30 (link)]. In the case of disagreement between the observers, images were reanalyzed to reach consensus.