Gold Nanoparticle Effects on the Hounsfield Unit of Computed Tomography in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Systematic Review

Background: The present study has attempted to gather all the original and relevant data on the application of gold nanoparticles aimed at the improvement of computed tomography image quality and Hounsfield unit in hepatocellular carcinoma. We performed a systematic review on the studies indexed in PubMed from January 2000 to January 2020. Afterwards, the study design and quality were evaluated. Results: An increase in the nanoparticles concentration and incubation time was associated with improved image quality and the Hounsfield Unit of computed tomography. Conclusion: This study highlights the considerable diagnostic role of gold nanoparticle as novel contrast agents in the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.