Purpose To evaluate dual-energy CT (DE) and dedicated metal artifact reduction algorithms (iMAR) during CT-guided biopsy in comparison to single-energy CT (SE). Methods A trocar was placed in the liver of six pigs. CT acquisitions were performed with SE and dose equivalent DE at four dose levels(1.7–13.5mGy). Iterative reconstructions were performed with and without iMAR. ROIs were placed in four positions e.g. at the trocar tip(TROCAR) and liver parenchyma adjacent to the trocar tip(LIVER-1) by two independent observers for quantitative analysis using CT numbers, noise, SNR and CNR. Qualitative image analysis was performed regarding overall image quality and artifacts generated by iMAR. Results There were no significant differences in CT numbers between DE and SE at TROCAR and LIVER-1 irrespective of iMAR. iMAR significantly reduced metal artifacts at LIVER-1 for all exposure settings for DE and SE(p = 0.02-0.04), but not at TROCAR. SNR, CNR and noise were comparable for DE and SE. SNR was best for high dose levels of 6.7/13.5mGy. Mean difference in the Blant-Altman analysis was -8.43 to 0.36. Cohen’s kappa for qualitative interreader-agreement was 0.901. Conclusions iMAR independently reduced metal artifacts more effectively and efficiently than CT acquisition in DE at any dose setting and its application is feasible during CT-guided liver biopsy.
ObjectivesTo compare image quality and metal artifact reduction between virtual monochromatic spectral imaging (VMSI), linearly blended dual-energy (DE) and single-energy (SE) images, each with and without dedicated iterative metal artifact reduction (iMAR) for CT-guided biopsy. Materials and methodsA biopsy trocar was positioned in the liver of six pigs. DE (Sn140/100kV p ) and SE (120kV p / 200mAs) acquisitions were performed with equivalent dose. From dual-energy datasets DE Q30-3 images and VMSI between 40-180 keV in steps of 20 keV were generated. From SE datasets I30-3 images were reconstructed. All images were reconstructed with and without iMAR. Objective image quality was analyzed applying density measurements at standardized positions (e.g. trocar tip and liver parenchyma adjacent to the trocar tip) and semi-automated threshold based segmentation. Subjective image quality was performed using semiquantitative scores. Analyses were performed by two observers. ResultsAt the trocar tip quantitative image analysis revealed significant difference in CT numbers between reconstructions with iMAR compared to reconstructions without iMAR for VMSI at lower keV levels (80 and 100 keV; p = 0.03) and DE (p = 0.03). For liver parenchyma CT numbers were significantly higher in VMSI at high keV compared to low keV (p�0.01). VMSI at high keV also showed higher CT numbers compared to DE and SE images, though not the level of statistical significance. The best signal-to-noise ratio for VMSI was at 80 keV and PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228578 February 10, 2020 1 / 17 OPEN ACCESS Citation: Do TD, Heim J, Melzig C, Vollherbst DF, Kauczor HU, Skornitzke S, et al. (2020) Virtual monochromatic spectral imaging versus linearly blended dual-energy and single-energy imaging during CT-guided biopsy needle positioning: Optimization of keV settings and impact on image quality. PLoS ONE 15(2): e0228578. https://doi.org/10.comparable to DE and SE. Noise was lowest at 80 keV and lower than in DE and SE. Subjective image quality was best with VMSI at 80 keV regardless of the application of iMAR. iMAR significantly improved image quality at levels of 140 keV and 160 keV. Interreaderagreement was good for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Conclusion iMAR improved image quality in all settings. VMSI with iMAR provided metal artifact reduction and better image quality at 80 keV and thus could improve the accurate positioning in CT-guided needle biopsy. In comparison, DE imaging did not improve image quality compared to SE. VMSI during CT-guided Needle Positioning PLOS ONE | https://doi.
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