Photon-Counting CT Offers Better Heart Imaging Quality Than Dual-Source CT

WEDNESDAY, June 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Ultrahigh-pitch photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) yields a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and better cardiovascular imaging quality than ultrahigh-pitch dual-source CT (DSCT) for children suspected of having heart defects, according to a study published online May 23 in Radiology.

Timm Dirrichs, M.D., from RWTH Aachen University Hospital in Germany, and colleagues compared image quality and radiation dose of ultrahigh-pitch PCCT with that of ultrahigh-pitch DSCT in children suspected of having congenital heart defects in a prospective analysis of existing clinical CT studies. Standardized region-of-interest analysis was used to calculate SNR and CNR; SNR and CNR dose ratios were then calculated. Four independent readers assessed visual image quality. Thirty contrast-enhanced PCCT and 84 DSCT were performed in 113 children.

The researchers found that a diagnostic image quality score of at least 3 (moderate) was obtained in 97 percent and 77 percent of images with PCCT and DSCT, respectively. Compared with DSCT, PCCT had significantly higher mean overall image quality ratings (4.17 versus 3.16, respectively). SNR and CNR were higher for PCCT versus DSCT. Similar mean effective radiation doses were seen for PCCT and DSCT.

“PCCT is a promising method that may improve diagnostic image quality and efficiency compared to DSCT imaging,” Dirrichs said in a statement. “This higher efficiency can be used to reduce the radiation dose at a given image quality level or to improve image quality at a given radiation level.”

One author disclosed ties to Bayer.