Digital tomosynthesis and ground glass nodules: Optimization of acquisition protocol. A phantom study

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Pulmonary Diagnostics
• Radiology

Background:

• Ground-glass opacities (GGOs) can indicate various lung conditions, from benign to malignant.
• Accurate detection of GGOs is crucial for timely diagnosis and patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of chest digital tomosynthesis (DTS) in detecting pulmonary ground-glass opacities (GGOs).
• To determine the impact of varying technical parameters on GGO detection using DTS.

Main Methods:

• A chest phantom with synthetic GGOs was scanned using multi-detector CT (MDCT) and DTS.
• Technical parameters including Cu-filter, dose rate, and X-ray tube voltage were varied.
• Radiologists assessed GGO visibility on DTS images using a standardized scoring system.

Main Results:

• Increased dose rate improved GGO identification in the apex and basal lung zones.
• GGOs in the hilar zone remained largely undetectable, even with higher dose rates.
• Optimized DTS parameters demonstrated capability in identifying GGOs, particularly those >10 mm.

Conclusions:

• Chest digital tomosynthesis (DTS) shows potential for detecting pulmonary GGOs.
• DTS may be valuable for monitoring patients with known GGOs in the lung apex or base.