Patient radiation exposure dose reduction using stent-enhanced image processing in percutaneous coronary intervention

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Interventional Cardiology
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) involves risks of radiation exposure to patients and operators.
• Optimizing imaging techniques is crucial for minimizing cumulative radiation doses during PCI procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of stent enhancement processing for reducing patient radiation exposure during PCI.
• To evaluate the impact of reduced imaging doses on image quality and stent visualization.

Main Methods:

• A dynamic phantom was used to assess image contrast and quality of stent enhancement processing at varying radiation doses (20%, 40%, 60% reduction).
• Visual evaluation of graininess and stent shape using the mean opinion score (MOS) was performed.
• Retrospective analysis of imaging acquisition duration in PCI cases was conducted.

Main Results:

• Stent-enhanced images (SVref) showed significantly higher image contrast (51.25 ± 3.82) compared to digital angiography (DA) (14.90 ± 1.57).
• Reduced image quality (MOS of graininess and stent shape) was observed at 60% lower dose (SV60) and in DA.
• Estimated potential reduction in patient radiation exposure up to 60.17 mGy.

Conclusions:

• Stent enhancement processing effectively improves stent visibility in PCI.
• Reducing imaging dose during stent enhancement can decrease radiation exposure by approximately 40% for confirmation imaging.
• This technique offers a valuable strategy for lowering radiation doses for both patients and healthcare providers in PCI.