Demographic-Based Personalized Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Thresholds for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Diagnosis.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Current diagnosis emphasizes the detection of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) using a fixed threshold of ≥15-mm maximum wall thickness (MWT). This study proposes a method that considers individual demographics to adjust LVH thresholds as an alternative to a 1-size-fits-all approach.

Assessing the stability of photon-counting CT: insights from a 2-year longitudinal study.

Objective: Among the advancements in computed tomography (CT) technology, photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) stands out as a significant innovation, providing superior spectral imaging capabilities while simultaneously reducing radiation exposure. Its long-term stability is important for clinical care, especially longitudinal studies, but is currently unknown. This study sets out to comprehensively analyze the long-term stability of a first-generation clinical PCCT scanner.

Impact of patient habitus and acquisition protocol on iodine quantification in dual-source photon-counting computed tomography.

Purpose: Evaluation of iodine quantification accuracy with varying iterative reconstruction level, patient habitus, and acquisition mode on a first-generation dual-source photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) system.

Approach: A multi-energy CT phantom with and without its extension ring equipped with various iodine inserts (0.2 to 15.

Assessing the Stability of Photon-Counting CT: Insights from a Two-Year Longitudinal Study.

Objective: Among the advancements in computed tomography (CT) technology, photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) stands out as a significant innovation, providing superior spectral imaging capabilities while simultaneously reducing radiation exposure. Its long-term stability is important for clinical care, especially longitudinal studies, but is currently unknown. This study sets out to comprehensively analyze the long-term stability of a first-generation clinical PCCT scanner.

Dual-source photon-counting CT: impact of residual cross-scatter on quantitative spectral results.

Dual-source photon-counting CT combines the high temporal resolution and high pitch of dual-source CT with the material quantification capabilities of photon-counting CT. It, however, results in cross-scatter that increases in severity with increased patient size and collimation. This cross-scatter must be corrected to ensure the removal of scatter artifacts and improve quantitative accuracy.

Impact of scatter radiation on spectral quantification performance of first- and second-generation dual-layer spectral computed tomography.

Objective: To assess the impact of scatter radiation on quantitative performance of first and second-generation dual-layer spectral computed tomography (DLCT) systems.

Method: A phantom with two iodine inserts (1 and 2 mg/mL) configured to intentionally introduce high scattering conditions was scanned with a first- and second-generation DLCT. Collimation widths (maximum of 4 cm for first generation and 8 cm for second generation) and radiation dose levels were varied.

Spectral performance evaluation of a second-generation spectral detector CT.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to characterize a second-generation wide-detector dual-layer spectral computed tomography (CT) system for material quantification accuracy, acquisition parameter and patient size dependencies, and tissue characterization capabilities.

Methods: A phantom with multiple tissue-mimicking and material-specific inserts was scanned with a dual-layer spectral detector CT using different tube voltages, collimation widths, radiation dose levels, and size configurations. Accuracy of iodine density maps and virtual monoenergetic images (MonoE) were investigated.

Clinical correlates of CT imaging-derived phenotypes among lean and overweight patients with hepatic steatosis.

The objective of this study is to define CT imaging derived phenotypes for patients with hepatic steatosis, a common metabolic liver condition, and determine its association with patient data from a medical biobank. There is a need to further characterize hepatic steatosis in lean patients, as its epidemiology may differ from that in overweight patients. A deep learning method determined the spleen-hepatic attenuation difference (SHAD) in Hounsfield Units (HU) on abdominal CT scans as a quantitative measure of hepatic steatosis.

Mitral Annular Disjunction: Review of an Increasingly Recognized Mitral Valve Entity.

Mitral annular disjunction (MAD) refers to atrial displacement of the hinge point of the mitral valve annulus from the ventricular myocardium. MAD leads to paradoxical expansion of the annulus in systole and may often be associated with mitral valve prolapse (MVP), leaflet degeneration, myocardial and papillary muscle fibrosis, and, potentially, malignant cardiac arrhythmias. Patients with MAD and MVP may present similarly, and MAD is potentially the missing link in explaining why some patients with MVP experience adverse outcomes.

Quantitative metrics of the LV trabeculated layer by cardiac CT and cardiac MRI in patients with suspected noncompaction cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: To compare cardiac computed tomography (CCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for the quantitative assessment of the left ventricular (LV) trabeculated layer in patients with suspected noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM).

Materials And Methods: Subjects with LV excessive trabeculation who underwent both CMR and CCT imaging as part of the prospective international multicenter NONCOMPACT clinical study were included. For each subject, short-axis CCT and CMR slices were matched.

Photon-counting detector CT allows significant reduction in radiation dose while maintaining image quality and noise on non-contrast chest CT.

Purpose: To investigate if clinical non-contrast chest CT studies obtained with PCD CT using much lower radiation exposure can achieve the same image quality as with the currently established EID protocol.

Materials/methods: A total of seventy-one patients were identified who had a non-contrast chest computed tomography (CT) done on PCD CT and EID CT scanners within a 4-month interval. Five fellowship trained chest radiologists, blinded to the scanner details were asked to review the cases side-by-side and record their preference for images from either the photon-counting-detector (PCD) CT or the energy-integrating detector (EID) CT scanner.

Comparative Effectiveness of Coronary CT Angiography and Standard of Care for Evaluating Acute Chest Pain: A Living Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To perform a living systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and standard of care (SOC) in the evaluation of acute chest pain (ACP).

Materials And Methods: Multiple electronic databases were systematically searched, with the most recent search conducted on October 31, 2022. Studies were stratified into two groups according to the pretest probability for acute coronary syndrome (group 1 with predominantly low-to-intermediate risk vs group 2 with high risk).

Consistency of spectral results in cardiac dual-source photon-counting CT.

We evaluate stability of spectral results at different heart rates, acquisition modes, and cardiac phases in first-generation clinical dual-source photon-counting CT (PCCT). A cardiac motion simulator with a coronary stenosis mimicking a 50% eccentric calcium plaque was scanned at five different heart rates (0, 60-100 bpm) with the three available cardiac scan modes (high pitch prospectively ECG-triggered spiral, prospectively ECG-triggered axial, retrospectively ECG-gated spiral). Subsequently, full width half max (FWHM) of the stenosis, Dice score (DSC) for the stenosed region, and eccentricity of the non-stenosed region were calculated for virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) at 50, 70, and 150 keV and iodine density maps at both diastole and systole.

Reduction in Radiologist Interpretation Time of Serial CT and MR Imaging Findings with Deep Learning Identification of Relevant Priors, Series and Finding Locations.

Rationale And Objectives: Finding comparison to relevant prior studies is a requisite component of the radiology workflow. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a deep learning tool simplifying this time-consuming task by automatically identifying and displaying the finding in relevant prior studies.

Materials And Methods: The algorithm pipeline used in this retrospective study, TimeLens (TL), is based on natural language processing and descriptor-based image-matching algorithms.

Dual-source photon-counting CT: consistency in spectral results at different acquisition modes and heart rates.

Cardiac CT is a useful tool for cardiovascular diagnostics that offers different acquisition modes, each with its advantages. The development of direct converting detector technology has resulted in the clinical translation of dual-source photon-counting CT. This takes advantage of the improved image quality at high heart rates from dual-source CT while making available spectral results for more precise material characterization and quantification.

Three-dimensional printing of patient-specific computed tomography lung phantoms: a reader study.

In modern clinical decision-support algorithms, heterogeneity in image characteristics due to variations in imaging systems and protocols hinders the development of reproducible quantitative measures including for feature extraction pipelines. With the help of a reader study, we investigate the ability to provide consistent ground-truth targets by using patient-specific 3D-printed lung phantoms. PixelPrint was developed for 3D-printing lifelike computed tomography (CT) lung phantoms by directly translating clinical images into printer instructions that control density on a voxel-by-voxel basis.

Phantom-based quantification of the spectral accuracy in dual-layer spectral CT for pediatric imaging at 100 kVp.

Background: To determine the spectral accuracy in detector-based dual-energy CT (DECT) at 100 kVp and wide (8 cm) collimation width for dose levels and object sizes relevant to pediatric imaging.

Methods: A spectral CT phantom containing tissue-equivalent materials and iodine inserts of varying concentrations was scanned on the latest generation detector-based DECT system. Two 3D-printed extension rings were used to mimic varying pediatric patient sizes.

2022 use of coronary computed tomographic angiography for patients presenting with acute chest pain to the emergency department: An expert consensus document of the Society of cardiovascular computed tomography (SCCT): Endorsed by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and North American Society for cardiovascular Imaging (NASCI).

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) improves the quality of care for patients presenting with acute chest pain (ACP) to the emergency department (ED), particularly in patients with low to intermediate likelihood of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography Guidelines Committee was formed to develop recommendations for acquiring, interpreting, and reporting of coronary CTA to ensure appropriate, safe, and efficient use of this modality. Because of the increasing use of coronary CTA testing for the evaluation of ACP patients, the Committee has been charged with the development of the present document to assist physicians and technologists.

First-generation clinical dual-source photon-counting CT: ultra-low-dose quantitative spectral imaging.

Objective: Evaluation of image characteristics at ultra-low radiation dose levels of a first-generation dual-source photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) compared to a dual-source dual-energy CT (DECT) scanner.

Methods: A multi-energy CT phantom was imaged with and without an extension ring on both scanners over a range of radiation dose levels (CTDI 0.4-15.

Improving cardiovascular magnetic resonance access in low- and middle-income countries for cardiomyopathy assessment: rapid cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Aims: To evaluate the impact of a simplified, rapid cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) protocol embedded in care and supported by a partner education programme on the management of cardiomyopathy (CMP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods And Results: Rapid CMR focused particularly on CMP was implemented in 11 centres, 7 cities, 5 countries, and 3 continents linked to training courses for local professionals. Patients were followed up for 24 months to assess impact.