Dual-energy multidetector CT: how does it work, what can it tell us, and when can we use it in abdominopelvic imaging?

Coursey, Courtney A; Nelson, Rendon C; Boll, Daniel T; Paulson, Erik K; Ho, Lisa M; Neville, Amy M; Marin, Daniele; Gupta, Rajan T; Schindera, Sebastian T (2010). Dual-energy multidetector CT: how does it work, what can it tell us, and when can we use it in abdominopelvic imaging? Radiographics, 30(4), pp. 1037-55. Easton, Pa.: Radiological Society of North America RSNA 10.1148/rg.304095175

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Dual-energy CT provides information about how substances behave at different energies, the ability to generate virtual unenhanced datasets, and improved detection of iodine-containing substances on low-energy images. Knowing how a substance behaves at two different energies can provide information about tissue composition beyond that obtainable with single-energy techniques. The term K edge refers to the spike in attenuation that occurs at energy levels just greater than that of the K-shell binding because of the increased photoelectric absorption at these energy levels. K-edge values vary for each element, and they increase as the atomic number increases. The energy dependence of the photoelectric effect and the variability of K edges form the basis of dual-energy techniques, which may be used to detect substances such as iodine, calcium, and uric acid crystals. The closer the energy level used in imaging is to the K edge of a substance such as iodine, the more the substance attenuates. In the abdomen and pelvis, dual-energy CT may be used in the liver to increase conspicuity of hypervascular lesions; in the kidneys, to distinguish hyperattenuating cysts from enhancing renal masses and to characterize renal stone composition; in the adrenal glands, to characterize adrenal nodules; and in the pancreas, to differentiate between normal and abnormal parenchyma.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine (DRNN) > Institute of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology

UniBE Contributor:

Schindera, Sebastian Tobias

ISSN:

0271-5333

Publisher:

Radiological Society of North America RSNA

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:11

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:01

Publisher DOI:

10.1148/rg.304095175

PubMed ID:

20631367

Web of Science ID:

000279979100013

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/2181 (FactScience: 204437)

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