ArticleEuropean radiology2023
Valid and reliable diagnostic performance of dual-energy CT in anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
Article in European radiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic performance of dual-energy computed tomography in detecting anterior cruciate ligament injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Skeletal radiology · 2025Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of the value of dual-energy computed tomography in the diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Collagen-sensitive dual-energy-CT as a quantitative tool for tendinopathy assessment: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study.Skeletal radiology · 2026Article
- Diagnostic performance of dual-energy Rho/Z CT and cinematic rendering in Achilles tendon rupture: a prospective multi-reader study.Skeletal radiology · 2026Article
- Collagen-elastin microstructural network and its mechanical implications in the anterior cruciate ligament: A feasibility study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- Diagnostic value of dual-energy CT virtual monochromatic imaging for supraspinatus tendon injuries: a comparison with standard CT and MRI.European radiology · 2025Article
- The emerging role of photon-counting detector CT: primary experience on the integrated assessment of acute knee injuries.European radiology experimental · 2025Article
- Reply to Maffulli, N.; Spiezia, F. Comment on "Foti et al. Identification of Achille's Tendon Tears: Diagnostic Accuracy of Dual-Energy CT with Respect to MRI.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Identification of Achille's Tendon Tears: Diagnostic Accuracy of Dual-Energy CT with Respect to MRI.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Updates on the Applications of Spectral Computed Tomography for Musculoskeletal Imaging.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo determine whether dual-energy CT (DECT) can be used to accurately and reliably detect anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. MATERIALS AND
methodsParticipants with unilateral ACL rupture were prospectively enrolled, and the bilateral knees were scanned by DECT. A tissue-specific mapping algorithm was applied to improve the visualization of the ACLs. The 80-keV CT value, mixed-keV CT value, electron density (Rho), and effective atomic number (Z
resultsFifty-one participants (mean age, 27.0 ± 8.7 years; 31 men) were enrolled. Intact and torn ACLs were explicitly differentiated on color-coded DECT images. The 80-keV CT value, mixed-keV CT value, and Rho were significantly lower for the torn ACLs than for the intact ACLs (p < 0.001). The optimal cutoff values were an 80-keV CT value of 61.8 HU, a mixed-keV CT value of 60.9 HU, and a Rho of 51.8 HU, with AUCs of 98.0% (95% CI: 97.0-98.9%), 99.2% (95% CI: 98.6-99.7%), and 99.8% (95% CI: 99.6-100.0%), respectively. Overall, DECT had almost perfect reliability and validity in detecting ACL integrity (sensitivity = 97.1% [95% CI: 88.1-99.8%]; specificity = 98.0% [95% CI: 89.5-99.9%]; PPV = 98.0% [95% CI: 93.0-99.8%]; NPV = 97.1% [95% CI: 91.7-99.4%]; accuracy = 97.5% [95% CI: 94.3-99.2%]). There was no evidence of a difference between MRI and DECT in the diagnostic performance (p > 0.99).
conclusionDECT has excellent diagnostic accuracy and reliability in qualitatively and quantitatively diagnosing ACL rupture. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: DECT could validly and reliably diagnose ACL rupture using both qualitative and quantitative methods, which may become a promising substitute for MRI to evaluate the integrity of injured ACLs and the maturity of postoperative ACL autografts. KEY POINTS: • On color-coded DECT images, an uncolored ACL was a reliable sign for qualitatively diagnosing ACL rupture. • The 80-keV CT value, mixed-keV CT value, and Rho were significantly lower for the torn ACLs than for the intact ACLs, which contributed to the quantitative diagnosis of ACL rupture. • DECT had an almost perfect diagnostic performance for ACL rupture, and diagnostic capability was comparable between MRI and DECT.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.