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Delineation of temporal bone anatomy: feasibility of low-dose 64-row CT in regard to image quality

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Abstract

The aim of our present study was to evaluate the visualization of anatomical landmarks of the temporal bone using a low-dose 64-slice computed tomography (CT) technique. A total of 120 patients were evaluated, 60 patients (mean age 47.1 years; 36 male, 24 female) underwent examination with a 4-slice CT scanner: 180 mAs, 120 kV, 1 s rotation time, 2 × 0.5 mm collimation, 0.5 mm slice thickness. Another 60 consecutive patients (mean age 37.4 years; 43 male, 37 female) were examined using a 64-slice CT low-dose protocol: 140 mAs, 120 kV, 1 s rotation time, 12 × 0.6 mm collimation, 0.6 mm slice thickness. The visibility of 42 landmarks was scored by two blinded radiologists using a five-point quality rating scale. Mean equivalent dose was significantly lower for the 64-slice CT protocol (0.31 mSv ± 0.12 mSv) compared to the 4-slice CT protocol (0.61 mSv ± 0.08 mSv). Despite increased image noise, only 19% of the anatomical landmarks were delineated significantly better on the axial sections of the 4-slice CT and only 9.5% of the anatomical landmarks on the reformatted coronal images. The interobserver agreement did not differ significantly between the two modalities. Low-dose 64-slice CT technique facilitates temporal bone imaging with sufficient anatomical detail.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Munich, Grosshadern, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    Jürgen Lutz, Vanessa Jäger, Maximilian Reiser & Lorenz Jäger

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, University of Munich, Grosshadern, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    Martin John Hempel

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Tulane University, 1440 Canal street, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Sudesh Srivastav

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  1. Jürgen Lutz
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  2. Vanessa Jäger
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  3. Martin John Hempel
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  4. Sudesh Srivastav
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  5. Maximilian Reiser
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  6. Lorenz Jäger
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Correspondence to Jürgen Lutz.

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Lutz, J., Jäger, V., Hempel, M.J. et al. Delineation of temporal bone anatomy: feasibility of low-dose 64-row CT in regard to image quality. Eur Radiol 17, 2638–2645 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-007-0578-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-007-0578-1

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