Improved coronary calcification quantification using photon-counting-detector CT : an ex vivo study in cadaveric specimens

• Objectives To compare the accuracy of coronary calcium quantification of cadaveric specimens imaged from a photon-counting detector (PCD)-CT and an energy-integrating detector (EID)-CT. Methods Excised coronary specimens were scanned on a PCD-CT scanner, using both the PCD and EID subsystems. The scanning and reconstruction parameters for EID-CT and PCD-CT were matched: 120 kV, 9.3-9.4 mGy CTDIvol, and a quantitative kernel (D50). PCD-CT images were also reconstructed using a sharper kernel (D60). Scanning the same specimens using micro-CT served as a reference standard for calcified volumes. Calcifications were segmented with a half-maximum thresholding technique. Segmented calcified volume differences were analyzed using the Friedman test and post hoc pairwise Wilcoxon signed rank test with the Bonferroni correction. Image noise measurements were compared between EID-CT and PCD-CT with a repeated-measures ANOVA test and post hoc pairwise comparison with the Bonferroni correction. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The volume measurements in 12/13 calcifications followed a similar trend: EID-D50 > PCD-D50 > PCD-D60 > micro-CT. The median calcified volumes in EID-D50, PCD-D50, PCD-D60, and micro-CT were 22.1 (IQR 10.2-64.8), 21.0 (IQR 9.0-56.5), 18.2 (IQR 8.3-49.3), and 14.6 (IQR 5.1-42.4) mm(3), respectively (p < 0.05 for all pairwise comparisons). The average image noise in EID-D50, PCD-D50, and PCD-D60 was 60.4 (+/- 3.5), 56.0 (+/- 4.2), and 113.6 (+/- 8.5) HU, respectively (p < 0.01 for all pairwise comparisons). Conclusion The PCT-CT system quantified coronary calcifications more accurately than EID-CT, and a sharp PCD-CT kernel further improved the accuracy. The PCD-CT images exhibited lower noise than the EID-CT images.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Radiologi och bildbehandling (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

X-ray tomography; Coronary artery disease; Cadaver; Artifacts

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