Kazuya Ohashi

Split-bolus CT-urography using dual-energy CT: Feasibility, image quality and dose reduction

PURPOSE To prospectively evaluate the feasibility of dual-energy (DE) split-bolus CT-urography (CTU) and the quality of virtual non-enhanced images (VNEI) and DE combined nephrographic-excretory phase images (CNEPI), and to estimate radiation dose reduction if true non-enhanced images (TNEI) could be omitted. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between August and September 2011, 30 consecutive patients with confirmed or suspected urothelial cancer or with hematuria underwent DE CT. Single-energy TNEI and DE CNEPI were obtained. VNEI was reconstructed from CNEPI. Image quality of CNEPI and VNEI was evaluated using a 5-point scale. The attenuation of urine in the bladder on TNEI and VNEI was measured. The CT dose index volume (CTDI (vol)) of the two scans was recorded. RESULTS The mean image quality score of CNEPI and VNEI was 4.7 and 3.3, respectively. The mean differences in urine attenuation between VNEI and TNEI were 14±15 [SD] and -16±29 in the anterior and posterior parts of the bladder, respectively. The mean CTDI (vol) for TNEI and CNEPI was 11.8 and 10.9 mGy, respectively. Omission of TNEI could reduce the total radiation dose by 52%. CONCLUSION DE split-bolus CTU is technically feasible and can reduce radiation exposure; however, an additional TNEI scan is necessary when the VNEI quality is poor or quantitative evaluation of urine attenuation is required.

Can dual-energy CT evaluate contrast enhancement of ground-glass attenuation? Phantom and preliminary clinical studies.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Evaluation of contrast enhancement of pulmonary lesions with ground-glass attenuation (GGA) is difficult with conventional techniques but might be possible using contrast-mapping images (CMIs) obtained by dual-energy computed tomography. To address this issue, a phantom study was conducted, and this technique was then applied to clinical cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS Phantoms made of agarose gel and those made of hollow resin clay, containing various concentrations of iodine or calcium, were used to simulate soft tissue and GGA, respectively. They were scanned using a dual-energy computed tomographic scanner, and the relationship between iodine concentration and calculated iodine value on CMIs was examined. The influence of calcium was also evaluated. In addition, contrast enhancement of 24 GGA lesions was evaluated on CMIs. RESULTS There was a good correlation between iodine value and iodine concentration in the soft-tissue models (r(2) = 0.996). In the GGA models, the former tended to exceed the latter when default parameters for calculating CMIs were used, but this could be corrected by modifying the parameters (r(2) = 0.998). The iodine value increased with calcium concentration in both models. On CMIs, contrast enhancement was visible in 22 adenocarcinomas but not in a pulmonary hemorrhage and an inflammatory change. CONCLUSIONS Dual-energy computed tomography can evaluate contrast enhancement of GGA lesions.

Accuracy of iodine removal using dual-energy CT with or without a tin filter: an experimental phantom study

Background The effects of a tin filter on virtual non-enhanced (VNE) images created by dual-energy CT have not been well evaluated. Purpose To compare the accuracy of VNE images between those with and without a tin filter. Material and Methods Two different types of columnar phantoms made of agarose gel were evaluated. Phantom A contained various concentrations of iodine (4.5–1590 HU at 120 kVp). Phantom B consisted of a central component (0, 10, 25, and 40 mgI/cm3) and a surrounding component (0, 50, 100, and 200 mgI/cm3) with variable iodine concentration. They were scanned by dual-source CT in conventional single-energy mode and dual-energy mode with and without a tin filter. CT values on each gel at the corresponding points were measured and the accuracy of iodine removal was evaluated. Results On VNE images, the CT number of the gel of Phantom A fell within the range between –15 and +15 HU under 626 and 881 HU at single-energy 120 kVp with and without a tin filter, respectively. With attenuation over these thresholds, iodine concentration of gels was underestimated with the tin filter but overestimated without it. For Phantom B, the mean CT numbers on VNE images in the central gel component surrounded by the gel with iodine concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 200 mgI/cm3 were in the range of –19–+6 HU and 21–100 HU with and without the tin filter, respectively. Conclusion Both with and without a tin filter, iodine removal was accurate under a threshold of iodine concentration. Although a surrounding structure with higher attenuation decreased the accuracy, a tin filter improved the margin of error.

Assessment of temporal resolution of multi-detector row computed tomography in helical acquisition mode using the impulse method

The purpose of this study was to propose a method for assessing the temporal resolution (TR) of multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) (MDCT) in the helical acquisition mode using temporal impulse signals generated by a metal ball passing through the acquisition plane. An 11-mm diameter metal ball was shot along the central axis at approximately 5 m/s during a helical acquisition, and the temporal sensitivity profile (TSP) was measured from the streak image intensities in the reconstructed helical CT images. To assess the validity, we compared the measured and theoretical TSPs for the 4-channel modes of two MDCT systems. A 64-channel MDCT system was used to compare TSPs and image quality of a motion phantom for the pitch factors P of 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 with a rotation time R of 0.5 s, and for two R/P combinations of 0.5/1.2 and 0.33/0.8. Moreover, the temporal transfer functions (TFs) were calculated from the obtained TSPs. The measured and theoretical TSPs showed perfect agreement. The TSP narrowed with an increase in the pitch factor. The image sharpness of the 0.33/0.8 combination was inferior to that of the 0.5/1.2 combination, despite their almost identical full width at tenth maximum values. The temporal TFs quantitatively confirmed these differences. The TSP results demonstrated that the TR in the helical acquisition mode significantly depended on the pitch factor as well as the rotation time, and the pitch factor and reconstruction algorithm affected the TSP shape.

Usefulness of electrocardiography-gated dual-source computed tomography for evaluating morphological features of the ventricles in children with complex congenital heart defects

PurposeImproved time resolution using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) enabled adaptation of electrocardiography (ECG)-gated cardiac CT for children with a high heart rate. In this study, we evaluated the ability of ECG-gated DSCT (ECG-DSCT) to depict the morphological ventricular features in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD).Materials and methodsBetween August 2006 and March 2010, a total of 66 patients with CHD (aged 1 day to 9 years, median 11 months) were analyzed using ECG-DSCT. The type of anomaly was ventricular septal defect (VSD) in 32 (malaligned type in 20, perimembranous type in 7, supracristal type in 3, muscular type in 2), single ventricle (SV) in 11, and corrected transposition of the great arteries (cTGA) in 3. All patients underwent ECG-DSCT and ultrasonography (US). We evaluated the accuracy of diagnosing the type of VSD. For the cases with SV and cTGA, we evaluated the ability to depict anatomical ventricular features.ResultsIn all 32 cases of VSD, DSCT could confirm the VSD defects, and the findings were identical to those obtained by US. Anatomical configurations of the SV and cTGA were correctly diagnosed, similar to that on US.ConclusionOur study suggests that ECG-DSCT can clearly depict the configuration of ventricles.

Internal mammary lymph node metastases in breast cancer: what should radiologists know?

The internal mammary lymph node (IMLN) chain is a pathway through which breast lymphatic drainage flows. The internal mammary lymphatic vessel runs around the internal mammary artery and veins with IMLN in the parasternal intercostal spaces. IMLN metastasis, which forms a part of clinical TNM staging, may negatively affect the prognosis of primary breast cancer patients. IMLN metastasis is clinically detected using ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and 18F-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography. The uptake of radioactive tracers in IMLN with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes is often identified using sentinel lymph node mapping (SLNM) in primary breast cancer patients. The indication for IMLN biopsy or resection that is clinically detected or visualized using SLNM is controversial. The clinically suspicious IMLN may be considered for ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. First IMLN recurrence needs to be biopsied. Irradiation of the breast, chest wall, and/or regional nodal irradiation, including IMLN, following lumpectomy or postmastectomy is recommended. Although radiation therapy for IMLN recurrence may improve clinical outcomes, it is also associated with pulmonary and cardiac toxicities. This review covers the local anatomy of IMLN, lymph drainage and image findings of IMLN with a discussion.

Quality Improvement of Dual-Energy Lung Perfusion Image by Reduction of Low-Energy X-Ray Spectrum: An Evaluation on Clinical Images

Summary Background The effects of the reduction of low-energy X-ray spectrum on lung perfusion images created by dual-energy CT have not been well evaluated. The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability of lung perfusion blood volume (PBV) images created by dual-energy CT (DECT) equipped with or without a tin filter, focusing on its accuracy adjacent to high-attenuation areas. Material/Methods Among 176 patients who underwent DECT for suspicion of pulmonary embolism, 38 patients (mean age, 64; range, 16 to 83 years) without apparent evidence of pulmonary embolism were evaluated in this study. They underwent DECT at 100/140 kVp with a tin filter on 140 kVp tube (Group A; n=18) or at 80/140 kVp without the filter (Group B; n=20). On the lung PBV images, the degrees of artifacts – pulmonary enhancement defect (PED) and pseudo-enhancement in the trachea (PTE) adjacent to the vena cava were evaluated using a four-point scale (0=minimal to 3=prominent). Results The mean degrees of artifact in Group A were significantly lower than those in Group B (0.8 vs. 1.9; P<0.0001 for PED, respectively, and 1.1 vs. 2.2; P<0.0001 for TPE, respectively). The mean CTDIvols were 4.90±1.14 and 12.98±3.15 mGy (P<0.0001) for Group A and Group B, respectively. Conclusions The quality and accuracy of dual-energy lung perfusion image will be improved by using the tin filter technique.

Application of a variable filter for presampled modulation transfer function analysis with the edge method

We devised a new noise filtering method to reduce the noise in the line spread function (LSF) for presampled modulation transfer function (MTF) analysis with the edge method. A filter was designed to reduce noise effectively using a position-dependent filter controlled by the boundary frequency b for low-pass filtering, which is calculated by 1/2d (d: distance from the LSF center). In this filtering process, strong filters with very low b can be applied to regions distant from the LSF center, and the region near the LSF center can be maintained simultaneously by a correspondingly high b. Presampled MTF accuracies derived by use of the proposed method and an edge spread function (ESF)-fitting method were compared by use of simulated ESFs with and without noise, resembling a computed radiography (CR) and an indirect-type flat panel detector (FPD), respectively. In addition, the edge images of clinical CR, indirect-type FPD, and direct-type FPD systems were examined. For a simulated ESF without noise, the calculated MTFs of the variable filtering method agreed precisely with the true MTFs. The excellent noise-reduction ability of the variable filter was demonstrated for all simulated noisy ESFs and those of three clinical systems. Although the ESF-fitting method provided excellent noise reduction only for the CR-like simulated ESF with noise, its noise elimination performance could not be demonstrated due to the lesser robustness of the fitting.

Investigation of temporal resolution required for CT coronary angiography

Sub-second multi-detector computed tomography systems (MDCTs) offer great potentials for improving cardiac imaging. However, since the temporal resolution of such CT systems is not sufficient, blurring and artifacts produced by fast cardiac motion are still problematic. The purposes of this study were to investigate the accurate method for measurement of temporal resolution (TR) of the cardiac CT and required TR for obtaining better CT coronary angiography (CTCA). We employed a dual source CT system (Somatom Definition, Siemens), which has various temporal resolution modes (83, 125, and 165 msec) for electro-cardiogram (ECG)-gated scanning. The temporal sensitivity profiles (TSPs) were measured by a new method using temporal impulse generated by metal ball (impulse method). The CTCA images of 200 patients with heart rates (HRs) ranging from 36 to 117 beat per minute (bpm) were visually evaluated using a 4-point scale. The 165-msec TR mode, which is mostly available on recent MDCTs, showed a sufficient image quality only at low HR (≤ 60 bpm) for all 3 arteries. The image quality of 125-msec TR mode was acceptable at low to intermediate HRs (< 80 bpm) for LADs and LCXs, and insufficient for the RCAs in cases with HR more than 71 bpm. The 83-msec TR mode demonstrated excellent image quality except for cases with very quick motion of the RCAs at a high HR (>80 bpm).

Is targeted reconstruction necessary for evaluating contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography using a liquid crystal display monitor?

PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine whether 20-cm field-of-view (FOV) targeted reconstruction (TR) on contrast-enhanced (CE) chest computed tomography (CT) might improve the diagnostic value compared with simple zooming (SZ) from whole-thorax FOV images using a 2 million (2M)-pixel liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor.Materials and methodsWe prospectively evaluated 44 patients. SZ images were magnified from a FOV of 26–34 cm (mean 29.7 cm). Parameters were 512 × 512 matrix and 3 mm thickness and interval. Images were reconstructed using a soft-tissue kernel. Three radiologists evaluated contour, spiculation, notch, pleural tag, invasion, and internal characteristics of the lesions using 5-scale scores. We also performed a phantom study to evaluate the spatial resolution of images.ResultsThe diagnostic value of the TR images was similar to that of the SZ images, with the findings identified in 88%–100% of the cases. Artifacts from highdensity structures deteriorated the image quality in six (14%), and the SZ images were judged to be preferable in five of them. In the phantom study, there was little difference in spatial resolution between the two images.ConclusionThe SZ images from whole-thorax FOV on CE chest CT were similar in quality to TR images using a 2M-pixel LCD monitor.