Clinical evaluation of a newly developed method for avoiding artifacts caused by dental fillings on X-ray CT
Yasuo Nakae1, Kiyoshi Sakamoto, Takahiro Minamoto
1Department of Clinical Radiology, The Hospital of Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. rt1711@hyo-med.ac.jp
Abstract:
To evaluate the clinical usefulness of gantry tilt scanning as an image reconstruction technique for avoiding artifacts caused by metallic dental fillings. Gantry tilt scanning was used with multidetector-row computed tomography for imaging in patients with dental fillings. Using a novel PC-based program, the oblique images obtained were reconstructed to transverse images using nearest neighbor and bilinear interpolation methodologies in order to avoid metallic streak artifacts. Coronal images were reformatted with the reconstructed transverse images, and the continuity of the reconstructed images was evaluated. Gantry tilt scanning was performed in 12 patients with metal artifacts, and the original and reconstructed images were classified into four grades and assessed by two radiologists. Results of the clinical evaluation indicated that the original images with artifacts, only 4% had good image quality in the region around the medial pterygoid muscle, only 8% depicted areas around the internal carotid artery and internal jugular vein, and only 12% could depict the areas around the parotid gland in the clinical evaluation. These values were improved to 60, 96, and 100%, respectively, in the reconstructed transverse images. Gantry tilt scanning as an image reconstruction technique improves image quality and removes most, if not all, artifacts caused by metallic dental fillings. The resulting images can be used in the evaluation of oropharyngeal lesions in patients with dental fillings.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Imaging Studies I: CT and MRI
Description of the Procedures
Computed Tomography (CT) scan:
Computed Tomography (CT) scans use X-ray technology to generate detailed images of bones, organs, and tissues. During the scan, the patient lies on a moving table...
01:24X-ray Imaging
01:28Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
01:18Effects of EDTA on End-Point Detection Methods
In the visual method, metal-ion indicators (metallochromic dyes), which have distinct colors in their free and complex forms, are added to the mixture to signal the titration's end point. They form stable complexes with metal ions, but these complexes are weaker than the corresponding metal–EDTA complexes. As a result, EDTA...
01:10Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System III: X-Ray
Definition and Purpose
An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...