Dual Energy CT (2)

One Basic Reason for Use of Dual Energy CT: Material Differentiation

• By scanning a patient at two different energy spectra (on an example above, at 56 kV and 76 kV), the attenuation difference of the same material is different.
• Iodine has higher attenuation difference, compared to bone
• With this nature, scanning allows the computer to process bone and iodine content on images differently.

Routine Use of Dual-energy CT for Material Differentiation

• Creation of 3D vascular images ("Direct Angio") by easy removal of bony structures
• Plaque analysis (calcified vs. soft plaques)
• Lung perfusion
• Virtual unenhanced scan (creation of unenhanced scan from enhanced images by deleting iodine content from the images)
• Calculi characterization (uric acid vs. others)

Reference: Fletcher JG, Takahashi N, Hartman R, et al. Dual-energy and dual-source CT: is there a role in the abdomen and pelvis? Radiol Clin N Am 2009; 47:41-57.