Iterative Reconstruction Leads to Increased Subjective and Objective Image Quality in Cranial CT in Patients With Stroke.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether iterative reconstruction improves the quality of cranial CT (CCT) images of stroke patients.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-one CCT studies of patients with infarction performed with either a low (260 mAs; n = 21) or standard (340 mAs; n = 30) dose were reconstructed with both filtered back projection (FBP) and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) with five strength levels (S1-S5). The resulting six image sets (one FBP and one each for SAFIRE levels S1-S5) were rated separately by two blinded radiologists in terms of conspicuity of infarcted areas on a 5-point scale.