title: Combining low tube voltage and iterative reconstruction for contrast-enhanced CT imaging of the chest-initial clinical experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the image quality of contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) with low tube voltage settings using an iterative reconstruction algorithm (iDose4) and standard dose filtered back projection (FBP) CT in patients with normal body mass index (BMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients with normal BMI were referred for a contrast-enhanced chest CT. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups: 120 kVp and 80 kVp. Standard convolution FBP was used to reconstruct the 120 kVp group (A) and 80 kVp group (C) image sets and iterative reconstruction (iDose4) was used to reconstruct the 80 kVp group (B) image sets. The mean image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and effective dose (ED) were calculated for each protocol. Image quality was graded (scale: 1-3) and compared among the three groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The radiation dose was 71.35% less for the low-voltage protocol. Noise was significantly lower in the low-voltage images reconstructed with iDose4 (group B) compared with images reconstructed with FBP (group C). Group B had the highest SNR and CNR. There was no difference in subjective image quality scores between groups B and A (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with standard FBP reconstruction, the iDose4 iterative reconstruction yields higher SNR, CNR, and better image quality in contrast-enhanced chest CT with low tube voltage settings.
authors: Department of Radiology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors: Q
authors: Q
authors: Li
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Yu
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Zhang
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Fan
authors: S-Y
authors: SY
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014283:Triiodobenzoic Acids
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D014283:Triiodobenzoic Acids; C054871:ioversol