Photon Counting CT Angiography of the Head and Neck: Image Quality Assessment of Polyenergetic and Virtual Monoenergetic Reconstructions
Arwed Elias Michael,
Jan Boriesosdick,
Denise Schoenbeck,
Ingo Lopez-Schmidt,
Jan Robert Kroeger,
Christoph Moenninghoff,
Sebastian Horstmeier,
Lenhard Pennig,
Jan Borggrefe,
Julius Henning Niehoff
Affiliations
Arwed Elias Michael
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Jan Boriesosdick
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Denise Schoenbeck
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Ingo Lopez-Schmidt
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Jan Robert Kroeger
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Christoph Moenninghoff
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Sebastian Horstmeier
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Lenhard Pennig
Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50923 Cologne, Germany
Jan Borggrefe
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Julius Henning Niehoff
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, Johannes Wesling University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, 32429 Minden, Germany
Background: The purpose of the present study was the evaluation of the image quality of polyenergetic and monoenergetic reconstructions (PERs and MERs) of CT angiographies (CTAs) of the head and neck acquired with the novel photon counting CT (PCCT) method in clinical routine. Methods: Thirty-seven patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Quantitative image parameters of the extracranial, intracranial and cerebral arteries were evaluated for the PER and MER (40–120 keV). Additionally, two radiologists rated the perceived image quality. Results: The mean CTDIvol used in the PCCT was 8.31 ± 1.19 mGy. The highest signal within the vessels was detected in the 40 keV MER, whereas the lowest noise was detected in the 115 keV MER. The most favorable contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) were detected in the PER and low keV MER. In the qualitative image analysis, the PER was superior to the MER in all rated criteria. For MER, 60–65 keV was rated as best image quality. Conclusion: Overall, PCCT offers excellent image quality for CTAs of the head and neck. At the current state, the PER of the PCCT seems to be the most favorable reconstruction for diagnostic reporting.
