Abstract
With the development of Dual Source CT, simultaneously acquired Dual Energy CT has become feasible in a clinical setting. Running both x-ray tubes at different potentials, different x-ray spectra can be obtained. Thus, elements with a strongly energy dependent absorption such as iodine or xenon gas can be differentiated from other materials. A three material decomposition algorithm is applied to map the distribution of such a substance in a CT image. This approach can be used to extract further clinically relevant information from CT scans acquired at normal dose levels. For example, it is possible to identify iodine in liver or kidney tissue and to display the contrast enhancement either by colorcoding it in the CT image or by subtracting it to obtain virtual unenhanced images. This also works in lung tissue for the evaluation of pulmonary perfusion. Also, bones can be eliminated from angiography datasets by the spectral properties of calcium so that the evaluation of vessels becomes easier and faster in a maximum intensity projection. Applications without contrast material include the differentiation of kidney stones and the depiction of tendons and ligaments.
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Johnson, T. (2009). Dual-Energy CT–Technical Background. In: Reiser, M., Becker, C., Nikolaou, K., Glazer, G. (eds) Multislice CT. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-33125-4_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-33125-4_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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