Thoracic Applications of Dual Energy

Assessment of 70-keV virtual monoenergetic spectral images in abdominal CT imaging: A comparison study to conventional polychromatic 120-kVp images

“…In traditional CT, X-ray generated by the X-ray tube has a continuous energy distribution called polychromatic X-ray. Since the introduction of CT, polychromatic 120-kVp X-rays have been widely used in clinical diagnosis as the standard acquisition in abdominal CT imaging [2][3][4][5][6].…”

Dual-energy computed tomography in pulmonary embolism

“…In patients with a large body habitus, peripheral lesions can be excluded because data are only acquired by the second tube detector inside this area; thus, dual-energy data manipulation can only be performed in this area. In secondgeneration DSCT scanners, however, this configuration has been modified with a tube B detector that now covers a 33 cm diameter field-of-view, thus avoiding the previously encountered limitations of dual-energy post-processing for large patients [14]. A contrast-enhanced CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) scan in dual-energy mode was obtained following the injection of a bolus of iodine contrast medium (Omnipaque, General Electric Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI) followed by a 40 ml saline flush into the antecubital vein via an 18-gauge catheter at 4 ml s -1 .…”

“…Such clots are known to be better visualised on 80 kVp images than on images acquired at 120 or 140 kV [14]. Importantly, we can use the BFI to search the contrast defect resulting from emboli.…”

State-of-the-Art Multi-Detector CT Angiography in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Technique, Interpretation and Future Perspectives

“…In DECT, lung perfusion does not correspond to blood flow analysis in its strict definition, but refers to the iodine enhancement at one point in a time (blood volume), which is related to the pulmonary blood flow or microcirculation of the lung. The distribution of the iodine within the pulmonary capillaries is influenced by various parameters such as the amount of contrast medium administered and the anatomic structures the contrast medium passes through, both, before and after the pulmonary capillary bed (31). There had been attempts earlier to produce lung perfusion images using single-source CT scanners: They used dynamic scan protocols or assessed parenchymal density by means of color coded maps.…”