Quantitative accuracy of virtual non-contrast images derived from spectral detector computed tomography: an abdominal phantom study

Dual-energy CT allows for the reconstruction of virtual non-contrast (VNC) images. VNC images have the potential to replace true non-contrast scans in various clinical applications. This study investigated the quantitative accuracy of VNC attenuation images considering different parameters for acqui...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 21575 - 8
Main Authors: Holz, Jasmin A., Alkadhi, Hatem, Laukamp, Kai R., Lennartz, Simon, Heneweer, Carola, Püsken, Michael, Persigehl, Thorsten, Maintz, David, Große Hokamp, Nils
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 09.12.2020
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects:
692/700/1421
692/700/1421/1846
Abdomen
Accuracy
Computed tomography
Humanities and Social Sciences
Iodine
multidisciplinary
Regression analysis
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Tomography
Variance analysis
ISSN:2045-2322, 2045-2322
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Dual-energy CT allows for the reconstruction of virtual non-contrast (VNC) images. VNC images have the potential to replace true non-contrast scans in various clinical applications. This study investigated the quantitative accuracy of VNC attenuation images considering different parameters for acquisition and reconstruction. An abdomen phantom with 7 different tissue types (different combinations of 3 base materials and 5 iodine concentrations) was scanned using a spectral detector CT (SDCT). Different phantom sizes (S, M, L), volume computed tomography dose indices (CTDIvol 10, 15, 20 mGy), kernel settings (soft, standard, sharp), and denoising levels (low, medium, high) were tested. Conventional and VNC images were reconstructed and analyzed based on regions of interest (ROI). Mean and standard deviation were recorded and differences in attenuation between corresponding base materials and VNC was calculated (VNCerror). Statistic analysis included ANOVA, Wilcoxon test and multivariate regression analysis. Overall, the VNC error was − 1.4 ± 6.1 HU. While radiation dose, kernel setting, and denoising level did not influence VNC error significantly, phantom size, iodine content and base material had a significant effect (e.g. S vs. M: − 1.2 ± 4.9 HU vs. − 2.1 ± 6.0 HU; 0.0 mg/ml vs. 5.0 mg/ml: − 4.0 ± 3.5 HU vs. 5.1 ± 5.0 HU and 35-HU-base vs. 54-HU-base: − 3.5 ± 4.4 HU vs. 0.7 ± 6.5; all p  ≤ 0.05). The overall accuracy of VNC images from SDCT is high and independent from dose, kernel, and denoising settings; however, shows a dependency on patient size, base material, and iodine content; particularly the latter results in small, yet, noticeable differences in VNC attenuation.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-78518-5