ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) and automated kV modulation (CARE kV) in reducing radiation dose without increasing image noise for abdominal CT examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 77 patients who received CT imaging with an application of CARE kV with or without SAFIRE and who had comparable previous CT images obtained without CARE kV or SAFIRE, using the standard dose (i.e., reference mAs of 240) on an identical CT scanner and reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) within 1 year. Patients were divided into two groups: group A (33 patients, CT scanned with CARE kV); and group B (44 patients, scanned after reducing the reference mAs from 240 to 170 and applying both CARE kV and SAFIRE). CT number, image noise for four organs and radiation dose were compared among the two groups. RESULTS: Image noise increased after CARE kV application (p or = 0.108). Effective doses decreased by 19.4% and 41.3% for groups A and B, respectively (all, p < 0.001) after application of CARE kV with or without SAFIRE. CONCLUSION: Combining CARE kV, reduction of mAs from 240 to 170 mAs and noise reduction by applying SAFIRE strength 3 or 4 reduced the radiation dose by 41.3% without increasing image noise compared with the standard-dose FBP images.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Algorithms , Equipment Design , Multidetector Computed Tomography/adverse effects , Radiation Dosage , Radiation Injuries/etiology , Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods , Radiography, Abdominal/adverse effects , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
El embolismo pulmonar es una importante causa de morbilidad y mortalidad en nuestro país y el mundo. Es una causa de atención médica cardiovascular frecuente, únicamente superada por la cardiopatía isquémica y los eventos vasculares cerebrales, con una prevalencia de 3% a 15%, siendo crucial su diagnóstico en las primeras horas de inicio de los síntomas. Dada la alta variabilidad en su presentación clínica, se ha convertido en un reto diagnóstico en las salas de urgencias, por lo que es indispensable contar con herramientas paraclínicas accesibles y rápidas para su diagnóstico. La presente revisión tiene como fin mostrar los métodos de imagen actuales, en particular a la tomografía computarizada multidetector, sus ventajas y limitaciones, así como los principales elementos de análisis para el diagnóstico de tromboembolismo pulmonar agudo y crónico. Asimismo, se mencionan algunos algoritmos de evaluación de acuerdo a la sociedad Fleischner del tórax y del grupo de investigadores del estudio PIOPED II, basados en la probabilidad pre-prueba del paciente y del resultado del dímero D.
Pulmonary embolism is a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. It is a common cause of cardiovascular care, second only to ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular events, with a prevalence of 3 to 15%, and its diagnosis remains crucial in the early hours of symptom onset. Given its clinical variability, it has become a diagnostic challenge in the emergency rooms, thus a fast and accurate paraclinical evaluation is needed. The aim of the present manuscript is to review the current role of imaging methods, in particular multidetector computed tomography, their advantages and limitations and the imaging findings of acute or chronic pulmonary thromboembolism. Finally, diagnostic algorithms based on the Thoracic Fleischner Society and the group of PIOPED II study investigators, are shown.