Relative dose in dual energy fast-kVp switching and conventional kVp imaging: spatial frequency dependent noise characteristics and low contrast imaging

Dual energy computed tomography offers unique diagnostic value by enabling access to material density, effective atomic number, and energy specific spectral characteristics, which remained indeterminate with conventional kVp imaging. Gemstone Spectral Imaging (GSI) is one of the dual energy methods based on fast kVp switching between two x-ray spectra, 80 kVp and 140 kVp nominal, in adjacent projections. The purpose of this study was to compare relative dose between GSI monochromatic and conventional kVp imaging for equivalent image noise characteristics. A spatialfrequency domain noise power spectrum (NPS) was used as a more complete noise descriptor for the comparison of the two image types. Uniform 20cm water phantom images from GSI and conventional 120 kVp scans were used for NPS calculation. In addition, a low contrast imaging study of the two image types with equivalent noise characteristics was conducted for contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) and low contrast detectability (LCD) in the Catphan600® phantom. From three GSI presets ranging from medium to low dose, we observed that conventional 120kVp scan requires ~ 7% - 18% increase in dose to match the noise characteristics in optimal noise GSI monochromatic image; and that the 65 keV monochromatic image CNR for a 0.5% contrast object is 22% higher compared to corresponding 120 kVp scan. Optimal use of the two energy spectra within GSI results in reduced noise and improved CNR in the monochromatic images, indicating the potential for use of this image type in routine clinical applications.

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