OPTIMIZATION OF PHOTON-COUNTING CT FOR BONE IMAGING USING ULTRA-HIGH-RESOLUTION MODE.
Br76 kernel gave best radiologist ratings for trabecular bone image quality.
OPTIMIZATION OF PHOTON-COUNTING CT FOR BONE IMAGING USING ULTRA-HIGH-RESOLUTION MODE.
While ultra-high-resolution (ultra-high-resolution) photon-counting detector CT (photon-counting detector CT) shows promising agreement with high resolution peripheral quantitative CT for bone microarchitecture evaluation, clinical translation requires balancing noise, resolution, and dose.
To apply a hybrid objective-subjective approach to optimize photon-counting detector CT ultra-high-resolution bone imaging protocol at clinically acceptable dose levels.
Four cadaveric specimens (one lumbar vertebra and three proximal femora) along with the Mindways phantom (Model 3), were imaged with photon-counting detector CT (NAEOTOM Alpha.
Br76 kernel rated best for trabecular bone image quality by radiologists
SNR and CNR were highest with Br76 kernel, QIR4, and highest exposure (IQ-450), while noise was lowest for Br76, increased with sharper kernels (Br89, Br98) and lower IQ, and was markedly reduced with QIR4; pitch had minimal impact (figures 1, 2).
Variance analysis showed that QIR had the greatest impact (η² = 0.54, 0.52), followed by kernel (η² = 0.29, 0.32) and IQ (η² = 0.09, 0.08), while pitch had no significant effect.
For Br76, TTF-f50 was consistently higher with QIR2 than QIR4 (1.62 vs 1.36 at IQ-75, pitch 0.85), with minimal dependence on IQ and pitch.
Br76 provided the best objective-subjective performance for trabecular bone assessment, with QIR4 minimizing noise and maximizing SNR/CNR, while QIR2 better preserved spatial resolution; pitch had no significant effect.
Protocol optimization of photon-counting detector CT for ultra-high-resolution imaging of trabecular bone at a clinically acceptable radiation dose is essential to unlock its full potential in clinical research.