Ultra-High-Resolution Photon-Counting Detector CT Arthrography of the Ankle: A Feasibility Study

Autor: Karsten Sebastian Luetkens, Jan-Peter Grunz, Andreas Steven Kunz, Henner Huflage, Manuel Weißenberger, Viktor Hartung, Theresa Sophie Patzer, Philipp Gruschwitz, Süleyman Ergün, Thorsten Alexander Bley, Philipp Feldle
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Diagnostics, Vol 13, Iss 13, p 2201 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2075-4418
29832462
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13132201
Popis: This study was designed to investigate the image quality of ultra-high-resolution ankle arthrography employing a photon-counting detector CT. Bilateral arthrograms were acquired in four cadaveric specimens with full-dose (10 mGy) and low-dose (3 mGy) scan protocols. Three convolution kernels with different spatial frequencies were utilized for image reconstruction (ρ50; Br98: 39.0, Br84: 22.6, Br76: 16.5 lp/cm). Seven radiologists subjectively assessed the image quality regarding the depiction of bone, hyaline cartilage, and ligaments. An additional quantitative assessment comprised the measurement of noise and the computation of contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR). While an optimal depiction of bone tissue was achieved with the ultra-sharp Br98 kernel (S ≤ 0.043), the visualization of cartilage improved with lower modulation transfer functions at each dose level (p ≤ 0.014). The interrater reliability ranged from good to excellent for all assessed tissues (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥ 0.805). The noise levels in subcutaneous fat decreased with reduced spatial frequency (p < 0.001). Notably, the low-dose Br76 matched the CNR of the full-dose Br84 (p > 0.999) and superseded Br98 (p < 0.001) in all tissues. Based on the reported results, a photon-counting detector CT arthrography of the ankle with an ultra-high-resolution collimation offers stellar image quality and tissue assessability, improving the evaluation of miniscule anatomical structures. While bone depiction was superior in combination with an ultra-sharp convolution kernel, soft tissue evaluation benefited from employing a lower spatial frequency.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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