High-pitch computed tomography pulmonary angiography with iterative reconstruction at 80 kVp and 20 mL contrast agent volume

• Published in: European radiology 2014-12, Vol.24 (12), p.3260-3268
• Main Authors: Lu, Guang Ming, Luo, Song, Meinel, Felix G., McQuiston, Andrew D., Zhou, Chang Sheng, Kong, Xiang, Zhao, Yan E., Zheng, Ling, Schoepf, U. Joseph, Zhang, Long Jiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Algorithms; Angiography - methods; Chest; Contrast agents; Contrast Media; Diagnosis, Differential; Diagnostic Radiology; Feasibility Studies; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Imaging; Internal Medicine; Interventional Radiology; Male; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neuroradiology; Prospective Studies; Pulmonary arteries; Pulmonary Artery - diagnostic imaging; Pulmonary Embolism - diagnostic imaging; Pulmonary embolisms; Radiation; Radiation Dosage; Radiology; Reproducibility of Results; ROC Curve; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Ultrasound
• ISSN: 0938-7994; 1432-1084
• DOI: 10.1007/s00330-014-3365-9

Objectives To evaluate the image quality, radiation dose and diagnostic accuracy of 80kVp, high-pitch CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) with iterative reconstruction using 20 ml of contrast agent. Methods One hundred patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) were randomly divided into two groups ( n  = 50 each; group A, 100 kVp, 1.2 pitch, 60 ml of contrast medium and filtered back projection algorithm; group B, 80 kVp, 2.2 pitch, 20 ml of contrast medium and sinogram affirmed iterative reconstruction). Image quality, diagnostic accuracy and radiation dose were evaluated and compared. Results Mean CT numbers of pulmonary arteries in group B were higher than those in group A (all P