Visualization of Lenticulostriate Arteries on CT Angiography Using Ultra-High-Resolution CT Compared with...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Neurovascular Imaging

Background:

• Newly developed ultra-high-resolution CT (UHRCT) features a 0.25-mm detector, halving conventional section thickness, in-plane detector element width, and reconstructed pixel width.
• UHRCT is anticipated to offer enhanced image quality for microvasculature visualization compared to conventional CT scanners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if UHRCT provides superior image quality for visualizing lenticulostriate arteries when compared to conventional-detector CT.

Main Methods:

• Thirteen patients with aneurysms underwent head CT angiography (CTA) using both UHRCT and conventional-detector CT.
• Two radiologists quantified lenticulostriate arteries on CTA coronal images of the MCA M1 segment, reconstructed from 512 matrixes (conventional) and 1024 matrixes (UHRCT).

Main Results:

• Significantly more lenticulostriate arteries were identified on UHRCT (average 2.85) compared to conventional CT (average 2.17) (P = .009).
• This improvement was observed in 16 out of 26 MCA M1 segments analyzed.

Conclusions:

• The combination of UHRCT scanner and protocol, despite higher radiation doses (within national reference levels) and adaptive iterative dose reduction, enhances lenticulostriate artery visualization.
• UHRCT presents a simple, noninvasive, and accessible method for evaluating microvasculature, including lenticulostriate arteries.