Left Ventricle Blood Attenuation in Non-Contrast Chest CT Scan as a Clue for Prediction of Anemia

Hamid  Dahmardeh; Aynaz  Gerami; Mahmoud  Khansari; Leyla  Abdolkarimi; Seyede Sara  Pakdaman Kolour; Majid  Ghodsi; Hoseinali  Danesh; Mohamad Ghazanfari  Hashemi

doi:10.18502/fbt.v12i3.19170

Hamid Dahmardeh Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Aynaz Gerami School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahmoud Khansari Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Leyla Abdolkarimi Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Seyede Sara Pakdaman Kolour Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Majid Ghodsi Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
Hoseinali Danesh Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeon, Associate professor of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Clinical Immunology Research Center at Zahedan University of Medical Science, Zahedan, Iran
Mohamad Ghazanfari Hashemi Department of Radiology, Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/fbt.v12i3.19170

Keywords: Non-Contrast Computed Tomography Scan; Anemia; Anemia Prediction; Hounsfield Unit; Left Ventricle Attenuation.

Abstract

Purpose: One of the indirect methods that has been proposed as a way of the detection of anemia is blood attenuation in non-contrast Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Some indices of non-contrast CT scans have been studied as a clue. Most known of such indices include aortic blood density and the difference between blood density and aortic wall density. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the left ventricle blood attenuation and its relation to patients’ hemoglobin levels.

Materials and Methods: A total of 523 patients who underwent non-contrast chest CT scan with available hemoglobin levels within 48 hours of interval from CT scan acquisition were recruited for this study. Left ventricle blood attenuation was measured and the correlation with hemoglobin levels was evaluated.

Results: There was found to be a linear correlation between blood attenuation in the left ventricle and hemoglobin levels (r=0.33). Our results showed that the highest level of accuracy for diagnosis of anemia is in the Hounsfield Unit of 37.5 for women and 38.5 for men (with 68% sensitivity and 60% specificity) which can be regarded as a reliable threshold.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that the attenuation of the blood in the left ventricle can potentially be a hint for anemia and further evaluation for Hb levels