Hsieh Scott S, Leng Shuai, Rajendran Kishore, Tao Shengzhen, McCollough Cynthia H
Department of Radiology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN 55905 USA.
IEEE Trans Radiat Plasma Med Sci. 2021 Jul;5(4):441-452. doi: 10.1109/trpms.2020.3020212. Epub 2020 Aug 28.
The use of a photon counting detector in CT (PCD CT) is currently the subject of intense investigation and development. In this review article, we will describe potential clinical applications of this technology with a particular focus on the experience of our own institution with a prototype PCD CT scanner. PCDs have three primary advantages over conventional, energy integrating detectors (EIDs): they provide spectral information without need for a dedicated dual energy protocol; they are immune to electronic noise; and they can be made very high resolution without significant compromises to quantum efficiency. These advantages translate into several clinical applications. Metal artifacts, beam hardening artifacts, and noise streaks from photon starvation can be better mitigated using PCD CT. Certain incidental findings can be better characterized using the spectral information from PCD CT. High-contrast, high-resolution structures such as the temporal bone can be better visualized using PCD CT and at greatly reduced dose. We also discuss new possibilities on the horizon, including new contrast agents, and how anticipated improvements in PCD CT will translate to performance in these applications.
在CT中使用光子计数探测器（PCD CT）目前是深入研究和开发的主题。在这篇综述文章中，我们将描述这项技术的潜在临床应用，特别关注我们自己机构使用原型PCD CT扫描仪的经验。与传统的能量积分探测器（EID）相比，PCD有三个主要优点：它们无需专用的双能协议即可提供光谱信息；它们不受电子噪声影响；并且可以在不显著降低量子效率的情况下实现非常高的分辨率。这些优点转化为多种临床应用。使用PCD CT可以更好地减轻金属伪影、束硬化伪影以及光子饥饿导致的噪声条纹。利用PCD CT的光谱信息可以更好地表征某些偶然发现。使用PCD CT可以更好地可视化高对比度、高分辨率结构，如颞骨，并且剂量大大降低。我们还讨论了即将出现的新可能性，包括新型造影剂，以及PCD CT预期的改进将如何转化为这些应用中的性能表现。
