Opportunities for new CT contrast agents to maximize the diagnostic potential of emerging spectral CT technologies.
The introduction of spectral CT imaging in the form of fast clinical dual-energy CT enabled contrast material to be differentiated from other radiodense materials, improved lesion detection in contrast-enhanced scans, and changed the way that existing iodine and barium contrast materials are used in clinical practice. More profoundly, spectral CT can differentiate between individual contrast materials that have different reporter elements such that high-resolution CT imaging of multiple contrast agents can be obtained in a single pass of the CT scanner. These spectral CT capabilities would be even more impactful with the development of contrast materials designed to complement the existing clinical iodine- and barium-based agents. New biocompatible high-atomic number contrast materials with different biodistribution and X-ray attenuation properties than existing agents will expand the diagnostic power of spectral CT imaging without penalties in radiation dose or scan time.
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, United States. Electronic address: ben.yeh@ucsf.edu.
Benjamin M
BM
Yeh
General Electric Global Research, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309, United States.
Paul F
PF
FitzGerald
General Electric Global Research, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309, United States.
Peter M
PM
Edic
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, United States.
Jack W
JW
Lambert
General Electric Global Research, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309, United States.
Robert E
RE
Colborn
General Electric Global Research, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309, United States.
Michael E
ME
Marino
GE Healthcare Life Sciences, The Grove Centre, White Lion Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP7 9LL, United Kingdom.
Paul M
PM
Evans
General Electric Global Research, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309, United States.
Jeannette C
JC
Roberts
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, United States.
Zhen J
ZJ
Wang
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, United States.
Margaret J
MJ
Wong
General Electric Global Research, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309, United States.
Peter J
PJ
Bonitatibus
D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media
CT contrast material; Dual energy CT; Heavy metal contrast material; Spectral CT; X-ray contrast material