ArticlePloS one2021
Value of spectral detector computed tomography for the early assessment of technique efficacy after microwave ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Beyond Conventional CT: Role of Dual-Energy CT in Monitoring Response to Therapy in Abdominal Malignancies.Radiology. Imaging cancer · 2025Review
- Research Progress of Dual-energy CT in Diagnosis and Evaluation of Curative Effect of Liver Cancer: A ReviewCurrent medical imaging · 2025Review
- Spectral CT: Current Liver Applications.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate whether virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) and iodine maps derived from spectral detector computed tomography (SDCT) improve early assessment of technique efficacy in patients who underwent microwave ablation (MWA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in liver cirrhosis.
methodsThis retrospective study comprised 39 patients with 49 HCC lesions treated with MWA. Biphasic SDCT was performed 7.7±4.0 days after ablation. Conventional images (CI), VMI and IM were reconstructed. Signal- and contrast-to-noise ratio (SNR, CNR) in the ablation zone (AZ), hyperemic rim (HR) and liver parenchyma were calculated using regions-of-interest analysis and compared between CI and VMI between 40-100 keV. Iodine concentration and perfusion ratio of HR and residual tumor (RT) were measured. Two readers evaluated subjective contrast of AZ and HR, technique efficacy (complete vs. incomplete ablation) and diagnostic confidence at determining technique efficacy.
resultsAttenuation of liver parenchyma, HR and RT, SNR of liver parenchyma and HR, CNR of AZ and HR were significantly higher in low-keV VMI compared to CI (all p<0.05). Iodine concentration and perfusion ratio differed significantly between HR and RT (all p<0.05; e.g. iodine concentration, 1.6±0.5 vs. 2.7±1.3 mg/ml). VMI50keV improved subjective AZ-to-liver contrast, HR-to-liver contrast, visualization of AZ margin and vessels adjacent to AZ compared to CI (all p<0.05). Diagnostic accuracy for detection of incomplete ablation was slightly higher in VMI50keV compared to CI (0.92 vs. 0.89), while diagnostic confidence was significantly higher in VMI50keV (p<0.05).
conclusionsSpectral detector computed tomography derived low-keV virtual monoenergetic images and iodine maps provide superior early assessment of technique efficacy of MWA in HCC compared to CI.
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