In a retrospective single-center study of 2,494 patients, photon-counting CT (PCCT) demonstrated a significantly higher pancreatic cyst detection rate than conventional energy-integrating detector CT (EIDCT): 4.9% (49/1,009) vs 3.0% (44/1,485), p = 0.017.
The largest difference occurred with CT angiography, where cysts were detected in 6.6% with PCCT versus 0% with EIDCT (p < 0.001). Among patients with prior conventional CT examinations, PCCT-detected cysts were also more frequently newly reported (40.7% vs 14.8%, p = 0.027).
Cyst size did not differ significantly between modalities. Overall, the findings suggest that PCCT improves detection and conspicuity of pancreatic cysts compared with conventional CT, particularly on CT angiographic examinations.
