Evaluation of an iterative model-based reconstruction of pediatric abdominal CT with regard to image quality and radiation dose

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Abstract

Background

In pediatric patients, computed tomography (CT) is important in the medical chain of diagnosing and monitoring various diseases. Because children are more radiosensitive than adults, they require minimal radiation exposure. One way to achieve this goal is to implement new technical solutions, like iterative reconstruction.
Purpose

To evaluate the potential of a new, iterative, model-based method for reconstructing (IMR) pediatric abdominal CT at a low radiation dose and determine whether it maintains or improves image quality, compared to the current reconstruction method.
Material and Methods

Forty pediatric patients underwent abdominal CT. Twenty patients were examined with the standard dose settings and 20 patients were examined with a 32% lower radiation dose. Images from the standard examination were reconstructed with a hybrid iterative reconstruction method (iDose4), and images from the low-dose examinations were reconstructed with both iDose4 and IMR. Image quality was evaluated subjectively by three observers, according to modified EU image quality criteria, and evaluated objectively based on the noise observed in liver images.
Results

Visual grading characteristics analyses showed no difference in image quality between the standard dose examination reconstructed with iDose4 and the low dose examination reconstructed with IMR. IMR showed lower image noise in the liver compared to iDose4 images. Inter- and intra-observer variance was low: the intraclass coefficient was 0.66 (95% confidence interval = 0.60–0.71) for the three observers.
Conclusion

IMR provided image quality equivalent or superior to the standard iDose4 method for evaluating pediatric abdominal CT, even with a 32% dose reduction.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)740-747
JournalActa Radiologica
Volume59
Issue number6
Early online date2017 Jan
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

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