AI Article Synopsis

  • This study explored how various acquisition, reconstruction, and postprocessing parameters affect Virtual Non-Calcium (VNCa) images from dual-energy CT (DECT) scans.
  • Scanning a human cadaver leg with different settings revealed that while tube current and reconstruction kernels had minimal impact on VNCa values, adjustments to the tube voltage and postprocessing parameters significantly influenced the results.
  • The findings highlight the importance of careful selection of acquisition and processing settings to avoid false positives in bone marrow edema assessments, underscoring the need for standardization in DECT imaging techniques.

Article Abstract

Purpose: The appearance and associated interpretation of Virtual Non-Calcium (VNCa) images extracted from dual-energy CT (DECT) acquisitions are influenced by many parameters. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acquisition, reconstruction, and postprocessing parameters on VNCa images.

Material And Methods: A human cadaver leg was scanned using a dual-source DECT scanner, with variations in tube current, tube voltage, reconstruction kernels, and post-processing settings (resolution, upper threshold, lower threshold, beam-hardening correction). The impact of noise was investigated by scanning the specimen five times using the same standard acquisition, reconstruction and postprocessing parameters. VNCa values were measured in four different regions of interest within different bones.

Results: Tube current and reconstruction kernels had no significant effect on VNCa values, with maximal standard deviations of 6.2 and 6.1 HU respectively. However, reducing the kVp difference between both tubes, reduced the spectral separation which resulted in lower VNCa values. For postprocessing parameters, variations in resolution and lower and upper thresholds as well as applying beam-hardening correction showed a large impact on VNCa values.

Conclusion: The results of this study improve the understanding of the impact of certain CT parameters on VNCa images. Tube voltage and post-processing settings have a large impact on VNCa values. An inappropriate choice of threshold range, resolution and incorrect use of calcium beam-hardening correction can potentially lead to false positive findings of bone marrow edema. This can furthermore impact the ability to compare results from the literature and between institutions, which emphasizes the importance of optimizing and standardizing acquisition, reconstruction and postprocessing parameters for consistent VNCa imaging.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrad.2024.111818DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

postprocessing parameters
20
acquisition reconstruction
16
reconstruction postprocessing
16
vnca values
16
vnca images
12
parameters vnca
12
beam-hardening correction
12
vnca
10
virtual non-calcium
8
non-calcium vnca
8

Similar Publications

Impact of papillary muscle infarction on atrial and ventricular myocardial deformation in non-anterior STEMI patients.

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging

January 2025

Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari - Polo di Monserrato s.s. 554 Monserrato (Cagliari), Monserrato, 09045, Italy.

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of papillary muscle (PPM) infarction on left atrial and ventricular strain parameters in patients with non-anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NA-STEMI) using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). This retrospective study performed CMR scans on 88 consecutive patients with NA-STEMI (68 males, 65 ± 10.05 years).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An applied noise model for low-loss EELS maps.

Ultramicroscopy

January 2025

Nanopatterning-Nanoanalysis-Photonic Materials Group, Department of Physics, Paderborn University, Warburgerstr. 100, Paderborn, 33098, Germany. Electronic address:

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) performed in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is susceptible to noise, just like every other measurement. EELS measurements are also affected by signal blurring, related to the energy distribution of the electron beam and the detector point spread function (PSF). Moreover, the signal blurring caused by the detector introduces correlation effects, which smooth the noise.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A review on hydroxyapatite fabrication: from powders to additive manufactured scaffolds.

Biomater Sci

January 2025

Department of Chemistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Kollam, India.

Hydroxyapatite (HA), the main inorganic bone component, is the most widely researched bioceramic for bone repair. This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent advancements in HA synthesis methods and their integration into additive manufacturing (AM) processes. Synthesis methodologies discussed include wet, dry, and biomimetic routes, emphasizing their impact on tailoring the physicochemical properties of HA for biomedical applications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To evaluate image quality (IQ) of for-processing (raw) and for-presentation (clinical) radiography images, under different exposure conditions and digital image post-processing algorithms, using a phantom that enables multiple detection tasks.

Methods: A modified version of the radiography phantom described in the IAEA Human Health Series No. 39 publication was constructed, incorporating six additional Aluminum (Al) targets of thicknesses both smaller and larger than the standard one.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A Method for Imaging the Ischemic Penumbra with MRI using IVIM.

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol

January 2025

From the Department of Radiology, Medical Physics (MML, TJC), Department of Interventional Radiology (NS, GAC), Department of Surgery and Large Animal Studies (MAN), and the Department of Statistics (MG), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Anesthesiology (SPR), University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Radiology (MSS), University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute (Current affiliation MML), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Mount Carmel Health Systems (Current affiliation GAC), Columbus, OH, USA.

Background And Purpose: In acute ischemic stroke, the amount of "local" CBF distal to the occlusion, i.e. all blood flow within a region whether supplied antegrade or delayed and dispersed through the collateral network, may contain valuable information regarding infarct growth rate and treatment response.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!