Comparative analysis of two mathematical algorithms for the calculation of computed tomography perfusion parameters...

The maximum slope (MS) and deconvolution (DC) algorithms are commonly used to post-process computed tomography perfusion (CTP) data. This study aims to analyze the differences between MS and DC algorithms for the calculation of pancreatic CTP parameters.

The pancreatic CTP data of 57 patients were analyzed using MS and DC algorithms. Two blinded radiologists calculated pancreatic blood volume (BV) and blood flow (BF). Interobserver correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the consistency between two radiologists. Paired t-tests, Pearson linear correlation analysis, and Bland-Altman analysis were performed to evaluate the correlation and consistency of the CTP parameters between the two algorithms.

Among the 30 subjects with normal pancreas, the BV values in the three pancreatic regions were higher in the case of the MS algorithm than in the case of the DC algorithm (t = 39.35, p < 0.001), and the BF values in the three pancreatic regions were slightly higher for the MS algorithm than for the DC algorithm (t = 2.19, p = 0.031). Similarly, among the 27 patients with acute pancreatitis, the BV values obtained using the MS methods were higher than those obtained using the DC methods (t = 54.14, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the BF values were higher with the MS methods than the DC methods (t = 8.45, p < 0.001). Besides, Pearson linear correlation and Bland-Altman analysis showed that the BF and BV values showed a good correlation and a bad consistency between the two algorithms.

The BF and BV values measured using MS and DC algorithms had a good correlation but were not consistent.