Accuracy of computed tomography attenuation measurements for diagnosing anemia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine which computed tomography (CT) attenuation parameter was the most appropriate to predict the presence or severity of anemia.

Materials And Methods: The subjects of the study wer 500 patients who had undergone a peripheral blood examination within 24 h of an unenhanced CT scan. Regions of interest were placed in the left ventricular (LV) cavity, thoracic and abdominal aortic lumens, inferior vena cava, and interventricular septum. The CT attenuation difference between the LV cavity and interventricular septum was also calculated. The relation between these measurements and the blood hemoglobin level was analyzed. In addition, using several selected parameters, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was also performed.

Results: The difference in CT attenuation between the LV cavity and interventricular septum revealed the greatest correlation. ROC analyses also revealed the greatest area under the ROC curve in the differences between CT attenuation.

Conclusion: The best quantitative method for the diagnosis of anemia was the difference in CT attenuation between the left ventricle and interventricular septum.