Measuring arterial wall perfusion using photon-counting computed tomography (CT): improving CT number accuracy of...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Atherosclerosis onset is linked to arterial wall perfusion changes.
• Increased spatial density of vasa vasorum (VV) is a hallmark of atherosclerosis.
• Contrast-enhanced CT struggles to accurately measure increased VV (IVV) density due to contrast media blooming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply image deconvolution to enhance CT number accuracy in arterial walls.
• To assess the effectiveness of deconvolution in a phantom and a porcine model for IVV density.
• To improve the detection of VV proliferation as an early atherosclerosis indicator.

Main Methods:

• Utilized image deconvolution to model and correct for the point-spread function (PSF) blooming effect.
• Scanned a 3D-printed carotid phantom with varying contrast concentrations to evaluate blooming.
• Employed a whole-body research photon-counting CT scanner for phantom and porcine model imaging.

Main Results:

• Image deconvolution successfully reduced blooming effects in CT scans.
• Improved delineation between the arterial lumen and wall was achieved post-deconvolution.
• Enhanced CT number differences in porcine carotid arteries indicated successful detection of IVV density.

Conclusions:

• Image deconvolution is effective in improving CT number accuracy for arterial wall imaging.
• The technique facilitates the detection of VV proliferation, a potential early sign of atherosclerosis.
• This method offers a promising approach for non-invasive atherosclerosis assessment using CT.