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Head CT: Image quality improvement with ASIR-V using a reduced radiation dose protocol for children

  • Computed Tomography
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the quality of images reconstructed with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction V (ASIR-V), using pediatric head CT protocols.

Methods

A phantom was scanned at decreasing 20% mA intervals using our standard pediatric head CT protocols. Each study was then reconstructed at 10% ASIR-V intervals. After the phantom study, we reduced mA by 10% in the protocol for <3-year-old patients and applied 30% ASIR-V and by 30% in the protocol for 3- to 15-year-old patients and applied 40% ASIR-V.

Results

Increasing the percentage of ASIR-V resulted in lower noise and higher contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and preserved spatial resolution in the phantom study. Compared to a conventional-protocol, reduced-dose protocol with ASIR-V achieved 12.8% to 34.0% of dose reduction and showed images of lower noise (9.22 vs. 10.73, P = 0.043) and higher CNR in different levels (centrum semiovale, 2.14 vs. 1.52, P = 0.003; basal ganglia, 1.46 vs. 1.07, P = 0.001; and cerebellum, 2.18 vs. 1.33, P < 0.001). Qualitative analysis showed higher gray-white matter differentiation and sharpness and preserved overall diagnostic quality in the images with ASIR-V.

Conclusions

Use of ASIR-V allowed a 12.8% to 34.0% dose reduction in each age group with potential to improve image quality.

Key points

• It is possible to reduce radiation dose and improve image quality with ASIR-V.

• We improved noise and CNR and decreased radiation dose.

• Sharpness improved with ASIR-V.

• Total radiation dose was decreased by 12.8% to 34.0%.

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Abbreviations

ASIR:

Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction

ASIR-V:

Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction V

CNR:

Contrast-to-Noise Ratio

CT:

Computed Tomography

CTDIvol:

volume CT Dose Index

DLP:

Dose Length Product

FBP:

Filtered Back Projection

GM:

Gray Matter

HU:

Hounsfield Units

MBIR:

Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction

ROI:

Region of Interest

SD:

Standard Deviation

WM:

White Matter

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Acknowledgements

We thank Min Jeong Yun of GE Healthcare Korea, for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Ajou University Medical Center, 164 World Cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Korea, 443-380

    Hyun Gi Kim

  2. Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea, 120-752

    Ho-Joon Lee, Seung-Koo Lee & Myung-Joon Kim

  3. Office of Biostatistics, Department of Humanities and Social Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, 164 World Cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Korea, 443-380

    Hyun Ji Kim

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  1. Hyun Gi Kim
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Correspondence to Myung-Joon Kim.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Myung-Joon Kim.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

Statistics and biometry

One of the authors has significant statistical expertise. (Hyun Ji Kim)

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board.

Methodology

Retrospective

Cross sectional study

Performed at one institution

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Kim, H.G., Lee, HJ., Lee, SK. et al. Head CT: Image quality improvement with ASIR-V using a reduced radiation dose protocol for children. Eur Radiol 27, 3609–3617 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-4733-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-4733-z

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