Low keV portal venous phase as a surrogate for pancreatic phase in a pancreatic protocol dual-energy CT: feasibility, image quality, and lesion conspicuity.

• The lesion conspicuity for focal pancreatic lesions was comparable between the proposed protocol and standard dual-phase pancreatic protocol CT. • Qualitative and quantitative image assessments were almost comparable between two protocols. • The radiation dose of a proposed protocol showed a projected 42% reduction from the conventional protocol.