• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.165-171
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of collimator width on effective atomic number (EAN), relative electron density (RED), and stopping power ratio (SPR) measured by dual-layer dual-energy computed tomography (DL-DECT). Methods: CIRS electron density calibration phantoms with two different arrangements of material plugs were scanned by DL-DECT with two different collimator widths. The first phantom included two dense bone plugs, while the second excluded dense bone plugs. The collimator widths selected were 64 mm×0.625 mm for wider collimators and 16 mm×0.625 mm for narrow collimators. The scanning parameters were 120 kVp, 0.33 second gantry rotation, 3 mm slice thickness, B reconstruction filter, and spectral level 4. An image analysis portal system provided by a computed tomography (CT) manufacturer was used to derive the EAN and RED of the phantoms from the combination of low energy and high energy CT images. The EAN and RED were compared between the images scanned using the two different collimation widths. Results: The CT images with the wider collimation width generated more severe artifacts, particularly with high-density material (i.e., dense bone). RED and EAN for tissues (excluding lung and bones) with the wider collimation width showed significant relative differences compared to the theoretical value (4.5% for RED and 20.6% for EAN), while those with the narrow collimation width were closer to the theoretical value of each material (2.2% for EAN and 2.3% for RED). Scanning with narrow collimation width increased the accuracy of SPR estimation even with high-density bone plugs in the phantom. Conclusions: The effect of CT collimation width on EAN, RED, and SPR measured by DL-DECT was evaluated. In order to improve the accuracy of the measured EAN, RED, and SPR by DL-DECT, CT scanning should be performed using narrow collimation widths.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.86-96
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• 2021

CT is a diagnostic tool with many clinical applications. The CT voxel intensity is related to the magnitude of X-ray attenuation, which is not unique to a given material. Substances with different chemical compositions can be represented by similar voxel intensities, making the classification of different tissue types challenging. Compared to the conventional single-energy CT, spectral CT is an emerging technology offering superior material differentiation, which is achieved using the energy dependence of X-ray attenuation in any material. A specific form of spectral CT is dual-energy imaging, in which an additional X-ray attenuation measurement is obtained at a second X-ray energy. Dual-energy CT has been implemented in clinical settings with great success. This paper reviews the theoretical basis and practical implementation of spectral/dual-energy CT.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1584-1589
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• 2014

This study analyzed CT values of radiolucent and radiopaque materials by energy region after selecting radiolucent and radiopaque materials at random using GE's DECT((Dual Energy Com-puted Tomography) at S University Hospital located in Gyeonggi-province from July through August in 2013. Besides, it drew out the most analogous energy region to the value of 120kVp CT, which is applied to existing SECT(Single Energy Computed Tomography), by utilizing the analysis method of CT values and tried to find out the most useful and appropriate materials when contrast was applied within visible area in clinical application. As a result, there was little decrease of CT value after 90KeV in the case of materials with low density and high moisture content such as normal saline, methyl-cellulose and gels used in ultra-sonic waves test; energy does not influence much on materials with extremely low or high density such as air and contrast medium; methyl-cellulose and gels used in ultra-sonic waves test are considered to be the most useful materials for clinical applications.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.838-850
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• 2020

Computed tomography (CT) is an important imaging modality in evaluating thoracic malignancies. The clinical utility of dual-energy spectral computed tomography (DESCT) has recently been realized. DESCT allows for virtual monoenergetic or monochromatic imaging, virtual non-contrast or unenhanced imaging, iodine concentration measurement, and effective atomic number (Z_eff map). The application of information gained using this technique in the field of thoracic oncology is important, and therefore many studies have been conducted to explore the use of DESCT in the evaluation and management of thoracic malignancies. Here we summarize and review recent DESCT studies on clinical applications related to thoracic oncology.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2008

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1555-1568
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• 2021

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially fatal disease if the diagnosis or treatment is delayed. Currently, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is considered the standard imaging method for diagnosing PE. Dual-energy CT (DECT) has the advantages of MDCT and can provide functional information for patients with PE. The aim of this review is to present the potential clinical applications of DECT in PE, focusing on the diagnosis and risk stratification of PE.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.207-213
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• 2023

Computed tomography (CT) images are used as the basis for proton Bragg peak position estimation and treatment plan simulation. During the Hounsfield Unit (HU) based proton stopping power ratio (SPR) estimation, small differences in the patient's density and elemental composition lead to uncertainty in the Bragg peak positions along the path of the proton beam. In this study, we investigated the potential of dual-energy computed tomography image-based proton SPRs prediction accuracy to reduce the uncertainty of Bragg peak position prediction. Single- and dual-energy images of an electron density phantom (CIRS Model 062M electron density phantom, CIRS Inc., Norfolk, VA, USA) were acquired using a computed tomography system (Somatom Definition AS, Siemens Health Care, Forchheim, Germany) to estimate the SPRs of the proton beam. To validate the method, it was compared to the SPRs estimated from standard data provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The results show that the dual-energy image-based method has the potential to improve accuracy in predicting the SPRs of proton beams, and it is expected that further improvements in predicting the position of the proton's Bragg peak will be possible if a wider variety of substitutes with different densities and elemental compositions of the human body are used to predict the SPRs.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.101-106
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• 2011

Purpose : This study evaluated the potential use of the computed tomography indices (CTI) on cone beam CT (CBCT) images for an assessment of the bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Materials and Methods : Twenty-one postmenopausal osteoporotic women and 21 postmenopausal healthy women were enrolled as the subjects. The BMD of the lumbar vertebrae and femur were calculated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using a DXA scanner. The CBCT images were obtained from the unilateral mental foramen region using a PSR-$9000N^{TM}$ Dental CT system. The axial, sagittal, and coronal images were reconstructed from the block images using $OnDemend3D^{TM}$. The new term "CTI" on CBCT images was proposed. The relationship between the CT measurements and BMDs were assessed and the intra-observer agreement was determined. Results : There were significant differences between the normal and osteoporotic groups in the computed tomography mandibular index superior (CTI(S)), computed tomography mandibular index inferior (CTI(I)), and computed tomography cortical index (CTCI). On the other hand, there was no difference between the groups in the computed tomography mental index (CTMI: inferior cortical width). Conclusion : CTI(S), CTI(I), and CTCI on the CBCT images can be used to assess the osteoporotic women.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.61-70
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• 2012

In this study, a simple post-reconstruction dual-energy computed tomography (CT) method is proposed. A dual-energy CT algorithm for monochromatic x-rays was adopted and applied to the dual-energy CT of polychromatic x-rays by assigning a representative mono-energy. The accuracy of algorithm implementation was tested with mathematical phantoms. To test the sensitivity of this algorithm to the inaccuracy of representative energy value in energy values, a simulation study was performed with mathematical phantom. To represent a polychromatic x-ray energy spectrum with a single-energy, mean energy and equivalent energy were used, and the results were compared. The feasibility of the proposed method was experimentally tested with two different micro-CTs and a test phantom made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), water, and graphite. The dual-energy calculations were carried out with CT images of all possible energy pairs among 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 kVp. The effective atomic number and the electron density values obtained from the proposed method were compared with theoretical values. The results showed that, except the errors in the effective atomic number of graphite, most of the errors were less than 10 % for both CT scanners, and for the combination of 60 kVp and 70 kVp, errors less than 6.0 % could be achieved with a Polaris 90 CT. The proposed method shows simplicity of calibration, demonstrating its practicality and feasibility for use with a general polychromatic CT.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2021

The evolution of X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been based on the discovery of X-rays, the inception of the Radon transform, and the development of X-ray digital data acquisition systems and computer technology. Unlike conventional X-ray imaging (general radiography), CT reconstructs cross-sectional anatomical images of the internal structures according to X-ray attenuation coefficients (approximate tissue density) for almost every region in the body. This article reviews the essential physical principles and technical aspects of the CT scanner, including several notable evolutions in CT technology that resulted in the emergence of helical, multidetector, cone beam, portable, dual-energy, and phase-contrast CT, in integrated imaging modalities, such as positron-emission-tomography-CT and single-photon-emission-computed-tomography-CT, and in clinical applications, including image acquisition parameters, CT angiography, image adjustment, versatile image visualizations, volumetric/surface rendering on a computer workstation, radiation treatment planning, and target localization in radiotherapy. The understanding of CT characteristics will provide more effective and accurate patient care in the fields of diagnostics and radiotherapy, and can lead to the improvement of image quality and the optimization of exposure doses.