Photon-Counting CT of the Brain: In Vivo Human Results and Image-Quality Assessment.
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol
; 38(12): 2257-2263, 2017 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28982793
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Photon-counting detectors offer the potential for improved image quality for brain CT but have not yet been evaluated in vivo. The purpose of this study was to compare photon-counting detector CT with conventional energy-integrating detector CT for human brains. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
Radiation dose-matched energy-integrating detector and photon-counting detector head CT scans were acquired with standardized protocols (tube voltage/current, 120 kV(peak)/370 mAs) in both an anthropomorphic head phantom and 21 human asymptomatic volunteers (mean age, 58.9 ± 8.5 years). Photon-counting detector thresholds were 22 and 52 keV (low-energy bin, 22-52 keV; high-energy bin, 52-120 keV). Image noise, gray matter, and white matter signal-to-noise ratios and GM-WM contrast and contrast-to-noise ratios were measured. Image quality was scored by 2 neuroradiologists blinded to the CT detector type. Reproducibility was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient. Energy-integrating detector and photon-counting detector CT images were compared using a paired t test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test.RESULTS:
Photon-counting detector CT images received higher reader scores for GM-WM differentiation with lower image noise (all P < .001). Intrareader and interreader reproducibility was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient, ≥0.86 and 0.79, respectively). Quantitative analysis showed 12.8%-20.6% less image noise for photon-counting detector CT. The SNR of photon-counting detector CT was 19.0%-20.0% higher than of energy-integrating detector CT for GM and WM. The contrast-to-noise ratio of photon-counting detector CT was 15.7% higher for GM-WM contrast and 33.3% higher for GM-WM contrast-to-noise ratio.CONCLUSIONS:
Photon-counting detector brain CT scans demonstrated greater gray-white matter contrast compared with conventional CT. This was due to both higher soft-tissue contrast and lower image noise for photon-counting CT.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Brain
/
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
/
Neuroimaging
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article