{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Image quality of abdominal photon-counting CT with reduced contrast media dose: Evaluation of reduced contrast media protocols during the COVID19 pandemic supply shortage.
{Author}: Layer YC;Isaak A;Mesropyan N;Kupczyk PA;Luetkens JA;Dell T;Attenberger UI;Kuetting D;
{Journal}: Heliyon
{Volume}: 10
{Issue}: 6
{Year}: 2024 Mar 30
{Factor}: 3.776
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28142
{Abstract}: UNASSIGNED: 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).
UNASSIGNED: 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.
UNASSIGNED: 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%.
UNASSIGNED: 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.