Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37042415›Full record

ArticleDiagnostic and interventional radiology (Ankara, Turkey)2023

Virtual non-enhanced dual-energy computed tomography reconstruction: a candidate to replace true non-enhanced computed tomography scans in the setting of suspected liver alveolar echinococcosis.

Mecit Kantarcı, Sonay Aydın, Ayşegül Kahraman, Hayri Oğul, Barış İrgül, Akın Levent

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diagnostic and interventional radiology (Ankara, Turkey), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 48% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. World journal of nephrology · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Characteristics of the imaging diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis.World journal of gastrointestinal surgery · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Mecit KantarcıDepartment of Radiology, Atatürk University, Faculty of Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-1043-6719
Sonay AydınDepartment of Radiology, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-3812-6333
Ayşegül KahramanDepartment of Radiology, İnönü University, Faculty of Medicine, Malatya, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-2147-1181
Hayri OğulDepartment of Radiology, Atatürk University, Faculty of Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0001-5989-3729
Barış İrgülDepartment of Radiology, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-7551-8686
Akın LeventDepartment of Radiology, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0003-0136-4570
Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University · TRAtatürk University · TRInonu University · TR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWhen a suspected hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE) lesion is detected on a contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, an additional triphasic or non-enhanced CT scan is required to determine the presence of calcification and enhancement. As a result, imaging costs and exposure to ionizing radiation will increase. We can create a non-enhanced series from routine contrast-enhanced images using dual-energy CT (DECT) and virtual non-enhanced (VNE) images. This study's objective is to assess virtual non-enhanced DECT reconstruction as a potential diagnostic tool for hepatic AE.

methodsTriphasic CT scans and a routine dual energy venous phase were acquired using a third-generation DECT system. A commercially available software package was used to generate VNE images. Individual evaluations were conducted by two radiologists.

resultsThe study population consisted of 100 patients (30 AE, 70 other solid liver masses). All AE cases were diagnosed [no false positives/negatives, 95% confidence interval (CI) sensitivity: 91.3%-100%; 95% CI specificity: 95.3%-100%]. Interrater agreement was k: 0.79. In total, 33 (33.00%) of the patients had AE, which was detected using both true non-enhanced (TNE) and VNE images. The mean dose-length product of a standard triphasic CT was significantly higher than biphasic dual-energy VNE images.

conclusionIn terms of diagnostic confidence, VNE images are comparable with actual non-enhanced imaging when evaluating hepatic AE. Further, VNE images could replace TNE images with a substantial radiation dose reduction. Advances in knowledge: hepatic cystic echinococcosis and AE are serious and severe diseases with high fatality rates and a poor prognosis if managed incorrectly, especially AE. Moreover, VNE images produce equal diagnostic confidence to TNE images for assessing liver AE, with a significant reduction in radiation dose.

Indexed as

Echinococcosis, HepaticRadiography, Dual-Energy Scanned ProjectionContrast MediaEchinococcosisHumansRetrospective StudiesTomography, X-Ray ComputedContrast Mediaalveolar echinococcosisDECTDLPradiationvirtual non-enhanced

Identifiers

PMID37042415
PMCPMC10679563
OpenAlexW4365136034

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.