Layer YC, Isaak A, Mesropyan N, Kupczyk PA, Luetkens JA, Dell T, Attenberger UI, Kuetting D. Image quality of abdominal photon-counting CT with reduced contrast media dose: Evaluation of reduced contrast media protocols during the COVID19 pandemic supply shortage.
Heliyon 2024;
10:e28142. [PMID:
38533048 PMCID:
PMC10963370 DOI:
10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28142]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Rationale and objectives
Aim of this study was to assess the impact of contrast media dose (CMD) reduction on diagnostic quality of photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) and energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT).
Methods
CT scans of the abdominal region with differing CMD acquired in portal venous phase on a PCD-CT were included and compared to EID-CT scans. Diagnostic quality and contrast intensity were rated. Additionally, readers had to assign the scans to reduced or regular CMD. Regions-of-interest (ROIs) were placed in defined segments of portal vein, inferior vena cava, liver, spleen, kidneys, abdominal aorta and muscular tissue. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated.
Results
Overall 158 CT scans performed on a PCD-CT and 68 examinations on an EID-CT were analyzed. Overall diagnostic quality showed no significant differences for PCD-CT with standard CMD which scored a median 5 (IQR:5-5) and PCD-CT with 70% CMD scoring 5 (4-5). (For PCD-CT, 71.69% of the examinations with reduced CMD were assigned to regular CMD by the readers, for EID-CT 9.09%. Averaged for all measurements SNR for 50% CMD was reduced by 19% in PCD-CT (EID-CT 34%) and CNR by 48% (EID-CT 56%). Virtual monoenergetic images (VMI)50keV for PCD-CT images acquired with 50% CMD showed an increase in SNR by 72% and CNR by 153%.
Conclusions
Diagnostic interpretability of PCD-CT examinations with reduction of up to 50% CMD is maintained. PCD-CT deducted scans especially with 70% CMD were often not recognized as CMD reduced scans. Compared to EID-CT less decline in SNR and CNR is observed for CMD reduced PCD-CT images. Employing VMI50keV for CMD-reduced PCD-CT images compensated for the effects.
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