Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42319701›Full record

ArticleThe international journal of cardiovascular imaging2026

Retrospective assessment of low-dose and low-contrast agent protocols for photon-counting CT angiography of the aorta.

Jan-Lucca Hennes, Kristina Krompaß, Henner Huflage, Pauline Pannenbecker, Ramin Saam Dazeh, Jan-Peter Grunz, Viktor Hartung, Thorsten Alexander Bley, Philipp Gruschwitz

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The international journal of cardiovascular imaging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Jan-Lucca HennesDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany. hennes_j@ukw.de.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1817-6214
Kristina KrompaßDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Henner HuflageDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Pauline PannenbeckerDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Ramin Saam DazehDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Jan-Peter GrunzDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Viktor HartungDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Thorsten Alexander BleyDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Philipp GruschwitzDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Our objective was to assess dedicated low-dose (LD) and low-contrast (LC) scan protocols for aortic angiography, compared to standard protocols in photon-counting CT (PCD-CT) and energy-integrating CT (EID-CT). 57 patients (23 women) who underwent aortic PCD-CT angiography (Nov. 23 - July 24) were assessed retrospectively. 19 received a low-contrast protocol (LC; 14 mg iodine, image quality level IQ64), 18 a low-dose protocol (LD; 21 mg iodine, IQ42), and 20 a combined low-dose/low-contrast protocol (LD/LC) according to defined patient characteristics. In addition, two groups of 20 BMI-matched patients were created, one of which underwent CTA using the standard PCD-CT protocol and the other using EID-CT, and these were compared with the new protocols. CNR was calculated. Overall quality, luminal contrast, vessel sharpness, and artifacts were rated by four radiologists. LD enabled ~ 40% dose-reduction compared to EID-CT (3.3 ± 0.8 versus 5.3 ± 0.4mGy; p < 0.01) but higher CNR (33.5 ± 6.1 vs. 25.1 ± 6.4; p < 0.01). CNR of LC (26.3 ± 5.6) and LD/LC (25.6 ± 9.1) did not differ significantly to EID-CT (25.1 ± 6.4; p > 0.99). Image quality of LC was deemed superior to EID-CT (5 [5-5] vs. 4 [4-4]; p < 0.01). LD (4 [4-5]) and LD/LC (4 [4-4]) demonstrated comparable image quality to EID-CT (p = 0.52/0.94). In conclusion even the LD/LC protocol provided image quality comparable to EID-CT despite substantial reduction of radiation and contrast agent dose. Special dose-reduced and contrast-reduced protocols are feasible without compromising diagnostic image quality.

Indexed as

AortaAortic DiseasesAortographyComputed Tomography AngiographyContrast MediaPhotonsRadiation DosageTriiodobenzoic AcidsAgedAged, 80 and overArtifactsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsContrast MediaTriiodobenzoic AcidsAortaContrast agent reductionCT angiographyPhoton-counting detector CTRadiation dose reductionSpectral imaging

Identifiers

PMID42319701
PMCPMC13645889

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

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.