Dual-energy lung perfusion and ventilation CT in children

Dual-energy thoracic CT provides two key insights into lung physiology, i.e. regional perfusion and ventilation, and has been actively investigated to find clinically relevant applications since the introduction of dual-source CT. This functional information provided by dual-energy thoracic CT is supplementary because high-resolution thoracic anatomy is entirely preserved on dual-energy thoracic CT. In addition, virtual non-contrast imaging can omit pre-contrast scanning. In this respect, dual-energy CT imaging technique is at least dose-neutral, which is a critical requirement for paediatric imaging. In this review, imaging protocols, analysis methods, clinical applications and diagnostic pitfalls of dual-energy thoracic CT for evaluating lung perfusion and ventilation in children are described.