The use of the gold compound (AuCl4) solution as an alternative contrast medium for iodine in computed tomography (CT-Scan) imaging

Abstract

In computerized tomography (CT-Scan), iodine solution was used as a contrast medium to improve imaging. But the iodine solution has different side effects for patients. In the present work, one of the gold compounds AuCl4 was used as an alternative contrast agent. The study used rabbits in an in vivo method to examine both the organs of the heart and the kidneys. Hounsfield unit (HU) values from computed tomography of rabbit and kidney angiography findings were found and compared with HU values for iodine contrast medium. Iodine solution is the only contrast medium currently used in the present study, gold tetrachloride (AuCl4) solution has been chosen as an alternative contrast medium in computed tomography scanning (CT-scan). It was found that using AuCl4 solution as an alternative contrast medium in rabbits enhanced the CT-scan imaging in the resolution and increasing the of heart and kidney organs in comparison with the iodine compound without any side effects. Rabbit’s heart and kidney were selected to study the effect of using 1.4 M iodine solution and 0.1 M AuCl4 as an alternative contrast medium in CT-scan. The HU value for the heart has 53 HU when used high concentration of Iodine complex, while the HU value at low concentration of alternative contrast medium of 0.1 M of gold compound has 50.5. The same results were found in the kidney organ. From these results, the resolution of the CT image is good and cleared when an alternative contrast medium (AuCl4) used. We can conclude that the alternate contrast medium for AuCl4 solution has high HU values for both heart and kidney compared to iodine solution.