PCCT improves CTPA exam image quality at lower radiation dose

High-pitch photon-counting CT (PCCT) improves image quality on CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) – at lower radiation doses, researchers have found.The results highlight PCCT's potential value for diagnosing suspected PE, according to a team led by Pauline Pannenbecker, MD, of University Hospital Würzburg in Germany."CTPA may benefit from [a PCCT] technique," they noted.Acute PE is a common and often fatal condition, making early detection and treatment crucial, the team noted. CTPA is the go-to test for the diagnostic workup of suspected PE due to benefits such as short acquisition time, availability, and high sensitivity. But dual-energy CTPA with conventional energy-integrating detector technology is limited by its inability to use a high-pitch technique, the group explained.Pannenbecker and colleagues sought to investigate whether high-pitch PCCT CTPA could produce anatomic images and iodine maps of higher quality than conventional CTPA. The team conducted a study that included 117 patients who underwent CTPA for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) between March 2022 and November of 2022. Of these, 58 underwent PCCT CTPA at a pitch of 2, and 59 underwent conventional CTPA at a pitch of 0.55. The investigators reconstructed 120-kV polychromatic images, 60-keV virtual monogenetic images (VMI), and iodine maps for each exam; one radiologist assessed contrast-to-noise and signal-to-noise ratios and three radiologists assessed...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties Chest Radiology Source Type: news