Philips Healthcare, CT Clinical Science, Cleveland, OH.
Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2021;45(1):24-28. doi: 10.1097/RCT.0000000000000982.
The aim of this study was to investigate if Hounsfield unit (HU) values from virtual noncontrast (VNC) images derived from portal venous phase spectral-detector computed tomography can help to differentiate adrenal adenomas and metastases.
Spectral-detector computed tomography datasets of 33 patients with presence of adrenal lesions and standard of reference for lesion origin by follow-up/prior examinations or dedicated magnetic resonance imaging were included. Conventional and VNC images were reconstructed from the same scan. Region of interest-based image analysis was performed in adrenal lesions and contralateral healthy adrenal tissue.
The 33 lesions consisted of 23 adenomas and 10 metastases. Hounsfield unit values of all lesions in VNC images were significantly lower compared with conventional images (18.2 ± 12.6 HU vs 59.6 ± 21.7 HU, P < 0.001). Hounsfield unit values in adenomas were significantly lower in VNC images (11.3 ± 6.5 HU vs 34.1 ± 9.1 HU, P < 0.001).
Virtual noncontrast HU values differed significantly between adrenal adenomas and metastases and can therefore be used for improved characterization of incidental adrenal lesions and definition of adrenal adenomas.
本研究旨在探讨源自门静脉期能谱探测器 CT 的虚拟平扫（VNC）HU 值是否有助于鉴别肾上腺腺瘤和转移瘤。
纳入 33 例存在肾上腺病变患者的能谱探测器 CT 数据集，通过随访/先前检查或专门的磁共振成像确定病变来源作为参考标准。对同一扫描进行常规和 VNC 图像重建。对肾上腺病变和对侧正常肾上腺组织进行基于感兴趣区的图像分析。
33 个病变包括 23 个腺瘤和 10 个转移瘤。VNC 图像中所有病变的 HU 值明显低于常规图像（18.2±12.6 HU 比 59.6±21.7 HU，P<0.001）。VNC 图像中腺瘤的 HU 值明显更低（11.3±6.5 HU 比 34.1±9.1 HU，P<0.001）。
肾上腺腺瘤和转移瘤之间的 VNC HU 值存在显著差异，因此可用于提高偶然发现的肾上腺病变的特征描述和定义肾上腺腺瘤。
