A Question of Dose? Ultra-Low Dose Chest CT on Photon-Counting CT in People with Cystic Fibrosis

Objective: Chest computed tomography (CT) is a key component of the diagnostic assessment of people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) and is increasingly replacing chest radiography. Due to improvements in life expectancy, radiation exposure has become a growing concern in PwCF. Photon-counting CT (PCCT) has the potential to reduce the risk of radiation-induced malignancies while maintaining diagnostic accuracy. This study aimed to compare the radiation dose and image quality of low-dose high-resolution (LD-HR) and ultra-low-dose high-resolution (ULD-HR) CT protocols using PCCT in PwCF. Methods: This retrospective study included 72 PwCF, with 36 undergoing a LD-HR chest CT protocol and 36 receiving an ULD-HR protocol on a PCCT. The radiation dose and image quality were assessed by comparing the effective dose and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Three blinded radiologists evaluated the overall image quality, sharpness, noise, and assessability of the bronchi, bronchial wall thickening, and bronchiolitis using a five-point Likert scale. Results: The ULD-HR PCCT protocol reduced radiation exposure by approximately 65% compared with the LD-HR PCCT protocol (median effective dose: 0.19 vs. 0.55 mSv, p < 0.001). While LD-HR images were consistently rated higher than ULD-HR images (p < 0.001), both protocols maintained diagnostic significance (median image quality rating of "4-good"). The average SNR of the lung parenchyma was significantly lower with ULD-HR PCCT compared to LD-HR PCCT (p < 0.001). Conclusions: ULD-HR PCCT significantly reduced radiation exposure while maintaining good diagnostic image quality in PwCF. The effective dose of ULD-HR PCCT is only twice that of a two-plane chest X-ray, making it a viable low-radiation alternative for routine imaging in PwCF.