Initial Assessment of a Prototype 3D Cone-Beam Computed Tomography System for Imaging of the Lumbar Spine, Evaluating Human Cadaveric Specimens in the Upright Position

Objectives The aims of this study were to assess feasibility, image quality, and radiation dose and to estimate the optimal dose protocol for the lumbar spine of cadaveric specimens with different body mass indices (BMIs) in the upright position using a prototype 3-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CT) software implemented on a robotic x-ray system and compare with CT. Materials and Methods The lumbar spine of 5 formalin-fixed human cadaveric specimens (BMI, 22–35 kg/m2) was prospectively assessed in the upright position using prototype software for 3-dimensional tomography implemented on a robotic x-ray system. Specimens were scanned with varying kilovolt values (70, 81, 90, 100, 109, 121 kV) and thereafter with 80 kV (BMI ≤30 kg/m2) and 121 kV (BMI>30 kg/m2) and varying dose levels (DLs; 0.278, 0.435, 0.548, 0.696, 0.87, 1.09). Computed tomography data were acquired with a standard clinical protocol. Two independent readers rated visibility of the cortex, endplates, facet joints, trabeculae, neuroforamina, posterior alignment, and spinal canal as well as nerve roots. Radiation dose was measured with a cylindrical CTDI phantom. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were used (P
Source: Investigative Radiology - Category: Radiology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research