The Relation of Liver Fat to Computed Tomography Numbers: A Preliminary Experimental Study in Rabbits

The relation of liver fat content to CT number was studied in 20 rabbits (17 experimental, 3 control), where fatty degeneration was produced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) ingestion. Liver scanning was performed before and 2–5 days after CCI4 administration. Changes (decrease) in CT number were compared with triglyceride (TG), water, and protein content of resected livers. A decrease of 12–20 CT numbers (24–40 H) reflected a TG concentration of 20–40 mg/g.