CT of metal implants: reduction of artifacts using an extended CT scale technique

The purpose of this work was to use an extended CT scale technique (ECTS) to reduce artifacts due to metal implants and to optimize CT imaging parameters for metal implants using an experimental model.

Osteotomies were performed in 20 porcine femur specimens. One hundred cobalt-base screws and 24 steel plates were used for osteosynthesis in these specimens. Artificial lesions were produced in 50 screws, such as osteolysis near the screws (mimicking lysis due to infection, tumor, or loosening), displacement of the screws, as well as fractures of the screws. All specimens were examined using eight different CT protocols: four conventional (CCT) and four spiral (SCT) CT protocols with different milliampere-second values (130 and 480 mAs for CCT, 130 and 300 mAs for SCT), kilovolt potentials (120 and 140 kVp), and slice thicknesses (2 and 5 mm). The images were analyzed by three observers using a standard window (maximum window width 4,000 HU) and ECTS (maximum window width 40,000 HU). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed, and image quality was assessed according to a five level scale.

Metal artifacts were significantly reduced using ECTS (p < 0.05). The highest diagnostic performance was obtained using ECTS with the thinnest slice thickness. Metal artifacts were more pronounced using SCT. In this experimental model, exposure dose and kilovolt potential had no significant impact on diagnostic performance (p > 0.05).

ECTS improved imaging of metal implants. In this study, no significant effects of exposure dose and kilovolt potential were noted. Metal artifacts were more prominent using SCT than using CCT.