Best practice: implementation and use of abdominal dual-energy CT in routine patient care.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this perspective is to document an experience with the adoption of dual-energy CT (DECT) for routine clinical imaging.

CONCLUSION

Successful implementation of DECT requires that technologists understand standards of image quality, be empowered to select appropriate patients, and understand networks for image routing. Radiologists need minimal facility with workstations to access the information embedded in DECT. DECT can be performed at a reduced effective radiation dose compared with single-energy CT and with lower doses of IV contrast material.