Do we really need triple phase computed tomography to detect and follow-up liver metastases of GIT (gastrointestinal tract) origin

Background/Aim: Gastrointestinal tract malignancies account for over 25% of all cancer incidence worldwide.
Radiologic imaging’s goal is to detect them in early stage. Multidetector CT is considered as the preferred imaging
modality for colorectal cancer staging and follow-up, providing a global one-session staging method.
Methods: We conducted a prospective study at the Department of Radiology, Clinical Hospital in Shtip, Republic
of North Macedonia from januar 2023 till december 2023, in which we included 43 patients aged between 30-80
years old with primary tumors originating from the gastrointestinal tract and synchronous metastases in the liver.
During the study, two CT examinations were performed. The first examination was done at the beginning of the
disease diagnosis, and the second one followed a year later. Both examinations were performed with post-contrast
series, in arterial, venous and late phase.
Results: At the first CT scan, liver metastases from GIT origin in relation to the density of computed tomography
in the venous phase all changes were shown as hypodense. At the second CT scan in the venous phase 33 changes
were shown as hypodense.
Conclusion: On the first CT examination, we obtained a 100% representation of liver metastases in the venous
phase, while on the second CT examination taking into account the seven deceased patients, the percentage
decreased to 84.9%. When it comes to imaging the liver and extrahepatic illness (both abdominal and thoracic),
MDCT offers a significant benefit of “one-stop-shopping.” This guarantees that MDCT will keep playing a significant
part in screening and staging