Dual-Energy CT in Acute Stroke: Could Non-Contrast CT Be Replaced by Virtual Non-Contrast CT? A Feasibility Study.
Guillaume HerpeAlexandra PlatonPierre-Alexandre PolettiKarl O LövbladPaolo MachiMinerva BeckerMichel MusterThomas PernegerRémy GuillevinPublished in: Journal of clinical medicine (2024)
Purpose: We aimed to evaluate whether virtual non-contrast cerebral computed tomography (VNCCT) reconstructed from intravenous contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT (iv-DECT) could replace non-contrast CT (NCCT) in patients with suspected acute cerebral ischemia. Method: This retrospective study included all consecutive patients in whom NCCT followed by iv-DECT were performed for suspected acute ischemia in our emergency department over a 1-month period. The Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) was used to determine signs of acute ischemia in the anterior and posterior circulation, the presence of hemorrhage, and alternative findings, which were randomly evaluated via the consensus reading of NCCT and VNCCT by two readers blinded to the final diagnosis. An intraclass correlation between VNCCT and NCCT was calculated for the ASPECTS values. Both techniques were evaluated for their ability to detect ischemic lesions (ASPECTS <10) when compared with the final discharge diagnosis (reference standard). Results: Overall, 148 patients (80 men, mean age 64 years) were included, of whom 46 (30%) presented with acute ischemia, 6 (4%) presented with intracerebral hemorrhage, 11 (7%) had an alternative diagnosis, and 85 (59%) had no pathological findings. The intraclass correlation coefficients of the two modalities were 0.97 (0.96-0.98) for the anterior circulation and 0.77 (0.69-0.83) for the posterior circulation. The VNCCT's sensitivity for detecting acute ischemia was higher (41%, 19/46) than that of NCCT (33%, 15/46). Specificity was similar between the two techniques, at 94% (97/103) and 98% (101/103), respectively. Conclusions: Our results show that VNCCT achieved a similar diagnostic performance as NCCT and could, thus, replace NCCT in assessing patients with suspected acute cerebral ischemia.
Keyphrases
- dual energy
- contrast enhanced
- computed tomography
- cerebral ischemia
- image quality
- liver failure
- magnetic resonance imaging
- diffusion weighted
- magnetic resonance
- respiratory failure
- positron emission tomography
- emergency department
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- diffusion weighted imaging
- drug induced
- brain injury
- aortic dissection
- newly diagnosed
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- blood brain barrier
- hepatitis b virus
- low dose
- randomized controlled trial
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- atrial fibrillation
- pulmonary embolism