320-slice CT neuroimaging: initial clinical experience and image quality evaluation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to report initial clinical experience with a 320-slice CT scanner and to perform an image quality evaluation. 26 patients with presumptive cerebrovascular pathology underwent 320-slice CT. Single-rotation CT of the head, incremental CT angiography (three-dimensional (3D) CTA) as well as four-dimensional whole-brain CTA (4D CTA) and whole-brain CT perfusion (CTP) were performed and the resulting images were assessed for quality and compared with those obtained with 64-slice CT protocols. 320-slice CT neuroimaging could be performed in all cases. The image quality of 320-slice CT of the head and 3D CTA was inferior to that of the 64-slice protocols. The image quality of 4D 320-slice CTA was rated as inferior to both 320- and 64-slice 3D CTA. 4D CTA-CTP imaging added information with pivotal clinical implications. 320-slice CT neuroimaging is feasible technique that permits whole-brain 4D imaging and has the potential to identify pathologies with altered haemodynamics. However, image quality is a limitation of this technique at present.

Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the Wide Volume (WV) versus Helical acquisition on a 320-detector row computed tomography for the exploration of the abdominopelvic region in adults

“…Our study demonstrated that in accordance with the prior literature [15], the WV mode was associated with a lower signal to noise ratio. However, as it was not significant on our subjective clinical study, we believe that the increased noise observed in the volume scanning has been partially corrected by the algorithms of our CT scanner.…”

Potent Risk Factor for Aneurysm Formation: Termination Aneurysms of the Anterior Communicating Artery and Detection of A1 Vessel Asymmetry by Flow Dilution

“…The advent of 320-section CT scanners capable of imaging contrast injection and dilution suggests that a dilution-based intracranial arterial assessment may be feasible in the near future. 16 …”

4D-CTA in Neurovascular Disease: A Review

“…22 Several studies reported inferior or comparable image quality of 4D-CTA and conventional CTA. 13,14,19 TI-CTA, on the other hand, was shown to have a 43% higher contrast-to-noise ratio and a 28% lower image noise compared with conventional CTA. 16 In addition, TI-CTA was rated as having less vascular noise, better vascular contour, better detail visibility of medium arteries, better detail visibility of small arteries, and better overall image quality than conventional CTA and 4D-CTA.…”

“…Effective doses of 5-6 mSv have been reported for 4D-CTA and 2-4.5 mSv for diagnostic cerebral DSA. 3,18,19 Doses reported for therapeutic interventions are substantially higher. Skin doses of Ͼ10,000 mGy may be accumulated during complex procedures.…”