DECT applications in liver imaging are based on two distinct capabilities: (1) material differentiation and (2) material identification and quantification. The possibility to obtain different material-specific (iodine mapping and virtual unenhanced (VU) images) or energy-specific (virtual monoenergetic images) datasets during a single scan may provide several advantages in oncological imaging. The calculation of VU images may replace the acquisition of pre-contrast images, therefore substantially lowering the radiation burden. Iodine maps can be useful to improve visualization and detection of contrast uptake, potentially increasing the diagnostic confidence for assessment of lesion contrast enhancement. Virtual monoenergetic images at low energy levels are beneficial in increasing image contrast, thus potentially improving the visualization and assessment of both hypovascular and hypervascular liver lesions. All these applications, if routinely applied, could improve the safety of CT examinations by reducing the radiation dose and contrast medium amount administered, while at the same time enhancing the detection and characterization of liver lesions.
De Cecco, C., Wichmann, J., Muscogiuri, G., Hardie, A., Laghi, A. (2015). Dual energy CT in liver tumors. In C. De Cecco, A. laghi, U. Schoepf, F. Meinel (a cura di), Dual Energy CT in Oncology (pp. 59-73). Springer International Publishing [10.1007/978-3-319-19563-6_5].
Dual energy CT in liver tumors
Muscogiuri G.;
2015
Abstract
DECT applications in liver imaging are based on two distinct capabilities: (1) material differentiation and (2) material identification and quantification. The possibility to obtain different material-specific (iodine mapping and virtual unenhanced (VU) images) or energy-specific (virtual monoenergetic images) datasets during a single scan may provide several advantages in oncological imaging. The calculation of VU images may replace the acquisition of pre-contrast images, therefore substantially lowering the radiation burden. Iodine maps can be useful to improve visualization and detection of contrast uptake, potentially increasing the diagnostic confidence for assessment of lesion contrast enhancement. Virtual monoenergetic images at low energy levels are beneficial in increasing image contrast, thus potentially improving the visualization and assessment of both hypovascular and hypervascular liver lesions. All these applications, if routinely applied, could improve the safety of CT examinations by reducing the radiation dose and contrast medium amount administered, while at the same time enhancing the detection and characterization of liver lesions.
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