Whole-brain adaptive 70-kVp perfusion imaging with variable and extended sampling improves quality and consistency...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Neurology

Background:

• Cerebral CT perfusion (CTP) is vital for assessing hemodynamics in stroke.
• Concerns persist regarding radiation exposure from conventional CTP protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an adaptive 70-kVp whole-brain CTP protocol against a standard 80-kVp protocol.
• The study aimed to assess radiation dose, image quality, and contrast dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 37 stroke patients (17 conventional 80-kVp, 20 adaptive 70-kVp).
• Comparison of radiation dose (CTDIvol, DLP/effective dose), parametric map quality, and contrast circulation capture.
• Adaptive 70-kVp protocol used variable sampling and extended duration; conventional 80-kVp used fixed sampling and limited duration.

Main Results:

• The 70-kVp protocol achieved superior image quality with 45% lower CT dose index volume and 13% lower dose-length product/effective dose.
• Full contrast passage to baseline was captured in 95% of 70-kVp scans versus 47% for 80-kVp scans.
• Both protocols achieved rapid sampling during the critical arterial phase.

Conclusions:

• Adaptive 70-kVp whole-brain CTP offers improved image quality and lower radiation doses.
• This protocol provides more consistent full contrast passage capture, enhancing diagnostic utility.
• The adaptive 70-kVp protocol represents a significant advancement in CTP for stroke assessment.