Special Topic: Dual Energy CT – Scientific Evidence and Clinical Application – New Article Series by T. Johnson
With the advent of Dual Source CT, spectral imaging or Dual Energy CT has become a viable option in clinical computed tomography. Meanwhile there is a whole variety of clinical applications which offer relevant additional diagnostic information or make the interpretation easier and faster.
Looking at all medical scientific literature in MedLine, there are about 200 articles on dual energy CT, about three quarters of which were published in the last three years. These studies mostly report new clinical applications of dual energy CT and their diagnostic value. Although the field is only emerging, the research activity is so extensive that it is getting difficult to keep an overview. Also, it may be difficult to estimate the actual clinical practicability and value, even if there are articles published on a certain technique or application.
Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of all the relevant applications of Dual Energy CT reported so far and to give account of the actual value in clinical practice. The references contain direct links to the original articles in peer-reviewed literature.
The review will be published in seven articles. The first article will be published on 26.11.2010.
Contents of the article series on Dual Energy
Part 1/7: Practical Technical Aspects
- Scan protocols
- Postprocessing
Part 2/7: Head and Neck
Part 3/7: Thoracic Imaging
- Lung Perfusion
- Lung Ventilation
- Pulmonary nodules
- Myocardial Perfusion
- Liver Imaging
- Biliary system
- Kidney Imaging
- Kidney Stone Differentiation
- Adrenal glands
- Pancreas
- Colon
- Aorta
- Plaque Imaging
- Peripheral Arteries
- Tendons and Ligaments
- Gout
- Bone Marrow Edema
- Metal Artifact Reduction
Part 6/7: Current Application in Routine Clinical Practice
Part 7/7: Outlook
The author of the Dual Energy series
Thorsten R. C. Johnson, M.D.:
Using Dual Source CT from the start, Dr. Johnson is specialized in Dual Energy applications in research and clinical environment for both the first and the second generation of DSCT. Based on his knowledge and years of hands-on experience, he wrote this review about the state-of-the-art of science and clinical application of Dual Energy imaging. DSCT.com would like to thank him again for this great achievement.
About DSCT.com, the dual-source CT community
DSCT.com is a non-commercial platform launched in 2007 for the exchange of scientific knowledge regarding the medical value of the latest innovations in computed tomography: dual-source CT. The website represents an international community of medical experts, especially radiologists and cardiologists dedicated to research on DSCT, and provides a global discussion forum for medical experts to talk about its potential use in patient care. The website is run and operated by Spirit Link Medical, based in Erlangen, Germany, with Siemens AG as a partner.
Dr.Johnson,
Is it feasible to combine DE ‘post-processing’ with Iterative recons with a view to improve DE evaluation for certain applications? Is there a potential to reduce DE dose further, with this combination- assuming that it is feasible in the first place?
Yes, Dual Energy and iterative reconstructions go together very well. The fact that the two simultaneous acquisitions represent low-dose exams makes dose efficiency a crucial point, and iterative reconstructions help to improve contrast to noise ratio in this respect. This beneficial effect on both single-energy datasets adds in Dual Energy postprocessing and improves its results. It is important to use Q or I kernels which do not change object edges. And yes, it is feasible to reduce the dose and get the same or better results with iterative reconstructions. The degree of feasible dose reduction depends on the individual application. I would estimate some 20-30% for most protocols; yet, systematic scientific evidence is lacking (although I know some is “in press”).
Very good!
May you please send us latest articles on PET-CT.