Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Huaxi MR Research Center, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Sci Rep. 2018 Aug 22;8(1):12613. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-30300-4.
This study aimed to evaluate the imaging quality of head and neck computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in pediatric patients at a lowered radiation dose by combining an iterative model reconstruction (IMR) with low voltage scanning. Eighty-three pediatric patients were randomized into two groups as follows: Group A (n = 42), 100 kV/50 ml contrast media (CM), using filtered back projection (FBP); and Group B (n = 41), 80 kV/30 ml CM, using IMR. The enhanced CT value of the arteries, the image noise, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)/contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the image quality, the effective radiation dose (ED) and the iodine intake were compared between the two groups. The mean ED and iodine intake of group B were reduced by 69.8% and 40.0%, respectively, compared to those of group A. The mean CT values of the arteries in group B were higher than those in group A (p < 0.01), whereas the image noise of group B was lower than that of group A (p < 0.01). Group B exhibited a better image quality and a higher mean CNR/SNR than that of group A (p < 0.01). Compared to FBP, IMR in head and neck CTA enables a significant reduction in the radiation dose while preserving the diagnostic image quality. Thus, IMR, combined with low tube voltage scanning, provided an excellent solution for improving the image quality of craniocervical vessels in children.
本研究旨在通过结合迭代模型重建（IMR）与低电压扫描来评估头颈部 CT 血管造影（CTA）在降低辐射剂量的情况下对儿科患者的成像质量。83 名儿科患者被随机分为两组：A 组（n=42），使用滤波反投影（FBP）行 100 kV/50 ml 对比剂（CM）扫描；B 组（n=41），使用 IMR 行 80 kV/30 ml CM 扫描。比较两组患者的动脉增强 CT 值、图像噪声、信噪比（SNR）/对比噪声比（CNR）、图像质量、有效辐射剂量（ED）和碘摄入量。与 A 组相比，B 组的平均 ED 和碘摄入量分别降低了 69.8%和 40.0%。B 组的动脉平均 CT 值高于 A 组（p<0.01），而 B 组的图像噪声低于 A 组（p<0.01）。B 组的图像质量和平均 CNR/SNR 均优于 A 组（p<0.01）。与 FBP 相比，头颈部 CTA 中的 IMR 可显著降低辐射剂量，同时保持诊断图像质量。因此，IMR 结合低管电压扫描为提高儿童颅颈血管的图像质量提供了一个很好的解决方案。
