Performance of iodine quantification through high-pitch dual-source photon-counting CT: a phantom study

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Photon-Counting Detector Technology

Background:

• Photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) offers improved spectral information compared to conventional energy-integrating detectors.
• Iodine quantification is crucial for various diagnostic applications, including contrast enhancement assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of iodine quantification using PCD-CT.
• To compare iodine quantification performance between standard-pitch and high-pitch scanning modes.

Main Methods:

• Iodine concentration phantoms (2-15 mg/mL) were scanned using PCD-CT in standard-pitch and high-pitch modes.
• Scans were performed at varying tube voltages (120/140 kVp) and radiation doses (1-10 mGy).
• Percentage absolute bias (PAB) was calculated to assess quantification accuracy.

Main Results:

• Both high-pitch and standard-pitch modes demonstrated accurate iodine quantification.
• The average PAB ranged from 1.67% to 4.56% across different phantom sizes and pitch modes.
• Phantom size was the only significant factor influencing quantification accuracy (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• High-pitch scanning with PCD-CT provides comparable accuracy to standard-pitch for iodine quantification.
• PCD-CT is a feasible technology for accurate iodine density measurements, with high-pitch mode being a suitable alternative.