Dual-energy computed tomography-based volumetric thyroid iodine quantification: correlation with thyroid hormonal...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Endocrinology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Thyroid hormonal status and diffuse thyroid disease (DTD) are critical in endocrine health.
• Accurate assessment of intrathyroidal iodine concentration (IC) is essential for understanding thyroid function.
• Current methods for assessing IC may be invasive or lack precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between intrathyroidal iodine concentration (IC) and thyroid hormonal status or pathologic diagnosis.
• To evaluate the utility of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for non-invasively quantifying IC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of neck CT examinations using a dual-layer DECT scanner.
• Volumetric IC measurements of thyroid parenchyma from non-contrast images.
• Comparison of mean IC based on thyroid hormonal status (hypothyroid, euthyroid, hyperthyroid) and DTD.
• Accuracy assessment using a Gammex phantom with known iodine concentrations.

Main Results:

• Mean parenchymal IC was lowest in hyperthyroid patients, followed by hypothyroid, then euthyroid patients (P < 0.01).
• In euthyroid patients, mean parenchymal IC was lower in those with DTD compared to those without (P < 0.01).
• DECT protocol demonstrated high accuracy with median percentage deviations of 5.1% from expected values in phantom studies.

Conclusions:

• DECT-based IC quantification is a potentially useful method for identifying thyroid hormone dysfunction.
• This non-contrast imaging technique can help diagnose diffuse thyroid disease (DTD).
• DECT offers valuable information from non-contrast CT images without intravenous contrast administration.