Diagnostic value of dual-source CT dual-energy technology for assessing differentiation degree and serosal invasion in colorectal cancer: A retrospective study.

To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of dual-source CT (DSCT) dual-energy technology in determining the differentiation degree and presence of serosal invasion in colorectal cancer (CRC), using normalized iodine concentration (NIC), electron density, and effective atomic number (Z) as diagnostic markers. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 102 patients clinically diagnosed and pathologically confirmed with CRC. Dual-energy images from both arterial and venous phases were obtained using third-generation DSCT. NIC values were computed. The study analyzed the diagnostic value of DSCT dual-energy technology, utilizing multiple parameters, in assessing the differentiation degree of CRC and the presence of serosal invasion. For differentiating high/moderate differentiation from low differentiation, the AUCs of NIC and Z were 0.899 and 0.914 in the arterial phase and 0.865 and 0.891 in the venous phase, respectively. For detecting serosal invasion, the arterial-phase AUCs of NIC and Z were 0.963 and 0.944, respectively, and the venous-phase AUC of NIC was 0.962. ρ showed no significant diagnostic value in these comparisons. DSCT dual-energy technology, through NIC and effective atomic number, offers significant diagnostic value for evaluating both the differentiation degree and serosal invasion in CRC, providing a novel approach for preoperative assessment.