title: Dual-energy CT-based monochromatic imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We summarize how virtual monochromatic images are synthesized from dual-energy CT using image-domain and projection-domain methods. The quality of virtual monochromatic images is compared with that of polychromatic single-energy images acquired at different tube potentials and the same radiation dose. Clinical applications of dual-energy CT-based virtual monochromatic imaging are reviewed, including beam-hardening correction, contrast and noise optimization, metal artifact reduction, and material differentiation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Virtual monochromatic images synthesized from dual-energy CT data have the potential to reduce beam-hardening artifacts and to provide quantitative measurements. If there is no desire to obtain material-specific information or to correct for metal or beam-hardening artifacts from the dual-energy data, however, it is better to perform a conventional single-energy scan at the optimal tube potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
authors.forename: Lifeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.forename: Cynthia H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: McCollough
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D015900:Radiography, Dual-Energy Scanned Projection / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*