ArticleLa Radiologia medica2024
Carotid artery assessment in dual-source photon-counting CT: impact of low-energy virtual monoenergetic imaging on image quality, vascular contrast and diagnostic assessability.
Article in La Radiologia medica, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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.
- Impact of virtual monoenergetic images on the assessability of lower extremity arteries in (Poly-) trauma photon-counting detector CT.Emergency radiology · 2026Article
- Photon-counting CT in head and neck radiology: bridging detector physics and clinical applications.European radiology · 2026Review
- Plaque-Adapted Virtual Monoenergetic Image Selection for Carotid Plaque Visualization Using Photon-Counting CT.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Practical Rule-of-Thumb to Adapt Contrast Media Dose in Photon-counting Detector CT: The 10-to-5 Rule.Investigative radiology · 2026Article
- Photon-counting detector of the ophthalmic artery: impact of virtual monoenergetic levels, reconstruction kernel, and quantum iterative reconstruction (QIR) on image quality.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2026Article
- Comparison of deep learning reconstruction algorithms to improve image quality of dual-energy carotid CT angiography under dual-low scan.Neuroradiology · 2026Article
- Deep learning models for pulmonary embolism segmentation on dual-energy CT: performance analysis and image quality correlation.BMC medical imaging · 2026Article
- Spectral Computed Tomography Angiography in Visceral Artery Aneurysms: Technical Principles and Clinical Applications.Tomography (Ann Arbor, Mich.) · 2026Review
- Evaluation of a dual-energy computed tomography parameter -radiomics combined model for solitary pulmonary nodules.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Comprehensive review of pulmonary embolism imaging: past, present and future innovations in computed tomography (CT) and other diagnostic techniques.Japanese journal of radiology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePreliminary dual-energy CT studies have shown that low-energy virtual monoenergetic (VMI) + reconstructions can provide superior image quality compared to standard 120 kV CTA series. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of low-energy VMI reconstructions on quantitative and qualitative image quality, vascular contrast, and diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery in patients undergoing photon-counting CTA examinations. MATERIALS AND
methodsA total of 122 patients (67 male) who had undergone dual-source photon-counting CTA scans of the carotid artery were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Standard 120 kV CT images and low-keV VMI series from 40 to 100 keV with an interval of 15 keV were reconstructed. Quantitative analyses included the evaluation of vascular CT numbers, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). CT number measurements were performed in the common, external, and internal carotid arteries. Qualitative analyses were performed by three board-certified radiologists independently using five-point scales to evaluate image quality, vascular contrast, and diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery.
resultsMean attenuation, CNR and SNR values were highest in 40 keV VMI reconstructions (HU, 1362.32 ± 457.81; CNR, 33.19 ± 12.86; SNR, 34.37 ± 12.89) followed by 55-keV VMI reconstructions (HU, 736.94 ± 150.09; CNR, 24.49 ± 7.11; SNR, 26.25 ± 7.34); all three mean values at these keV levels were significantly higher compared with the remaining VMI series and standard 120 kV CT series (HU, 154.43 ± 23.69; CNR, 16.34 ± 5.47; SNR, 24.44 ± 7.14) (p < 0.0001). The qualitative analysis showed the highest rating scores for 55 keV VMI reconstructions followed by 40 keV and 70 keV VMI series with a significant difference compared to standard 120 kV CT images series regarding image quality, vascular contrast, and diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery (all comparisons, p < 0.01).
conclusionsLow-keV VMI reconstructions at a level of 40-55 keV significantly improve image quality, vascular contrast, and the diagnostic assessability of the carotid artery compared with standard CT series in photon-counting CTA.
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.