(2022) Woeltjen | Low-Dose High-Resolution PCCT of the Lung: Radiation Dose and Image Quality

Daniel Stromer

The study evaluates a low-dose high-resolution PCCT lung protocol in a clinical cohort, comparing it directly to standard energy-integrating CT under routine conditions.

Image quality was significantly improved with PCCT, particularly when using quantum iterative reconstruction, which reduced noise and enhanced sharpness of pulmonary structures.

At the same time, the protocol achieved a meaningful reduction in radiation dose, demonstrating that optimized low-dose PCCT can be implemented in clinical practice without compromising diagnostic performance.

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Figure 1. Images of the whole lung (a–c) and enlarged image sections (d–f) of the same patient: (a,d) were created with the EID-CT scanner; (b,e) were created with a PCCT scanner without an iterative reconstruction algorithm (QIR−); and (c,f) are PCCT images reconstructed with an iterative reconstruction algorithm (QIR+).

Source: Woeltjen et al., Diagnostics, 2022, CC BY 4.0

Protocol

Scanner	NAEOTOM Alpha
Scan area	Thorax
Scan mode	Quantum Plus
Scan direction	n.a.
Tube voltage [kV]	120
Effective mAs [mAs]	n.a.
IQ level	70
Dose modulation	CARE Dose4D
CTDIvol [mGy]	2.5 ± 1.1
DLP [mGy*cm]	85.9 ± 36.1
Rotation time [s]	0.25
Pitch	1.2
Matrix	n.a.
Slice collimation [mm]	144 × 0.40
Slice width [mm]	1.0
Reconstruction increment [mm]	n.a.
Reconstruction kernel	QIR 2

Woeltjen et al. Low-Dose High-Resolution Photon-Counting CT of the Lung: A Clinical Study. Diagnostics. 2022;12(6):1441.