PCCT reduced total iodine load by 20.1% for abdominal portal venous phase CT compared with an individualized kV-adapted EID-CT protocol, while maintaining diagnostic image quality.
Despite lower liver attenuation at the standard 60 keV reconstruction, PCCT achieved significantly higher SNR and CNR than EID-CT.
All scans on both systems were rated as diagnostically sufficient by both readers.
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Figure 3. Representative abdominal PVP scans from both a photon-counting detector CT (PCCT) and an energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT), illustrating comparable image quality (IQ). Image A and B were rated as moderate and image D and E as good by both observers. Image C and F are the 55 keV reconstructions of image B and E respectively but were not assessed subjectively.
Protocol
Detail | Value |
|---|
Scanner | NAEOTOM Alpha |
Scan mode | QuantumPlus |
Tube voltage [kV] | 120 kV |
Rotation time [s] | 0.25 for combined thorax/abdominal CT; 0.5 for abdominal CT only |
Collimation | 144 × 0.40 mm |
IQ level | 145 optimized for soft tissue with contrast |
Tube current modulation | CARE Dose 4D |
CTDIvol [mGy] | 7.4 ± 2.2 |
Standard reconstruction | VMI at 60 keV |
Secondary reconstruction | VMI at 55 keV from spectral post-processing |
Slice thickness / increment | 3 mm / 2 mm |
Kernel | Br40 |
Iterative reconstruction | Level 3 |
SPP reconstruction thickness / increment | 2 mm / 1.5 mm |
SPP kernel | Qr40 |
Contrast agent | Ultravist 300 mgI/mL or Ultravist 370 mgI/mL |
Injection access | 18-, 20-, or 22-gauge needle |
Scan timing | Approximately 70 s after injection |
Contrast dosing factor | 0.30 g I/kg |
Injection duration | 30 s |
Protocol basis | TBW-adapted CM protocol tailored to VMI at 60 keV |
Hoeijmakers EJI, Stammen L, Wildberger JE, et al. PCD-CT enables contrast media reduction in abdominal imaging compared to an individualized kV-adapted contrast media injection protocol on EID-CT. Eur J Radiol. 2024;179:111680.
