Fulltext

Is body weight the most appropriate criterion to select patients eligible for low-dose pulmonary CT angiography? Analysis of objective and subjective image quality at 80kVp in 100 patients

Szucs-Farkas, Zsolt ; Strautz, Tamara ; Patak, Michael ; Kurmann, Luzia ; Vock, Peter ; Schindera, Sebastian

In: European Radiology, 2009, vol. 19, no. 8, p. 1914-1922

Add to personal list
    Title
    • Is body weight the most appropriate criterion to select patients eligible for low-dose pulmonary CT angiography? Analysis of objective and subjective image quality at 80kVp in 100 patients
    Author
    • Szucs-Farkas, Zsolt. Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, University Hospital and University of Berne, Freiburgstrasse 4, 3010, Berne, Switzerland
    • Strautz, Tamara. Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, University Hospital and University of Berne, Freiburgstrasse 4, 3010, Berne, Switzerland
    • Patak, Michael. Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, University Hospital and University of Berne, Freiburgstrasse 4, 3010, Berne, Switzerland
    • Kurmann, Luzia. Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, University Hospital and University of Berne, Freiburgstrasse 4, 3010, Berne, Switzerland
    • Vock, Peter. Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, University Hospital and University of Berne, Freiburgstrasse 4, 3010, Berne, Switzerland
    • Schindera, Sebastian. Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, University Hospital and University of Berne, Freiburgstrasse 4, 3010, Berne, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:316649
    Summary
    The objective of this retrospective study was to assess image quality with pulmonary CT angiography (CTA) using 80kVp and to find anthropomorphic parameters other than body weight (BW) to serve as selection criteria for low-dose CTA. Attenuation in the pulmonary arteries, anteroposterior and lateral diameters, cross-sectional area and soft-tissue thickness of the chest were measured in 100 consecutive patients weighing less than 100kg with 80kVp pulmonary CTA. Body surface area (BSA) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were calculated. Three radiologists analyzed arterial enhancement, noise, and image quality. Image parameters between patients grouped by BW (group 1: 0-50kg; groups 2-6: 51-100kg, decadally increasing) were compared. CNR was higher in patients weighing less than 60kg than in the BW groups 71-99kg (P between 0.025 and <0.001). Subjective ranking of enhancement (P = 0.165-0.605), noise (P = 0.063), and image quality (P = 0.079) did not differ significantly across all patient groups. CNR correlated moderately strongly with weight (R = −0.585), BSA (R = −0.582), cross-sectional area (R = −0.544), and anteroposterior diameter of the chest (R = −0.457; P < 0.001 all parameters). We conclude that 80kVp pulmonary CTA permits diagnostic image quality in patients weighing up to 100kg. Body weight is a suitable criterion to select patients for low-dose pulmonary CTA