Ultralow-dose CT of the petrous bone using iterative reconstruction technique, tin filter and high resolution...

To assess image quality and radiation dose in computed tomography (CT) studies of the petrous bone done with a scanner using a tin filter, high-resolution detectors, and iterative reconstruction, and to compare versus in studies done with another scanner without a tin filter using filtered back projection reconstruction.

Thirty two patients (group 1) were acquired with an ultra-low dose CT (32-MDCT, 130 kV, tin filter and iterative reconstruction). Images and radiation doses were compared to 36 patients (group 2) acquired in a 16-MDCT (120 kV and filtered back-projection). Muscle density, bone density, and background noise were measured. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated. To assess image quality, two independent radiologists subjectively evaluated the visualization of the different structures of the middle and inner ear (0 = not visualized, 3 = perfectly identified and delimited). Interobserver agreement was calculated. Effective dose at different anatomical levels with the dose-length product was recorded.

In the quantitative analysis, there were no significant differences in image noise between the two groups. In the qualitative analysis, a similar or slightly lower subjective score was obtained in the delimitation of different structures of the ossicular chain and cochlea in the 32-MDCT, compared to 16-MDCT, with statistically significant differences. Mean effective dose (± standard deviation) was 0.16 ± 0.04 mSv for the 32-MDCT and 1.25 ± 0.30 mSv for the 16-MDCT.

The use of scanners with tin filters, high-resolution detectors, and iterative reconstruction allows to obtain images with adequate quality for the evaluation of the petrous bone structures with ultralow doses of radiation (0.16±0.04 mSv).