Gemstone Spectral Imaging quantifies lesion characteristics for a confident diagnosis

According to the American Journal of Radiology, more than half of small lesions—particularly those found in the abdomen region that includes the kidney, liver, and lung—are indeterminate by conventional CT exams. As a result, additional testing, such as a PET or MR scan, may be required to make a definitive diagnosis, possibly resulting in unnecessary healthcare costs and patient anxiety. It’s this major shortcoming that led to one of the clinical advantages of the Discovery* CT750 HD: the ability to characterize lesions. Using Spectral HU curves, radiologists are able to see the attenuation characteristics within ROIs, receive clearer characterizations, and quantify characteristics across all energy levels for a confident diagnosis. With the ability to quantify and separate materials such as calcium, iodine, and water, clinicians are better able to determine whether lesions are enhancing or non-enhancing. Case study Patient histories Patient One is a 67-year-old woman who had an incidental pancreatic head cystic mass discovered during a routine CT to evaluate left lower quadrant pain. She was referred for multiphasic pancreatic CT to further characterize. Patient Two is a 63-year-old man with hepatitis C cirrhosis undergoing surveillance CT for HCC. Exam protocol GSI Acquisition GSI Viewer Spectral HU Curves & Lower Monochromatic (keV) Images Acquisition protocols Scanner: Discovery CT750 HD Scan type: GSI—Helical GSI preset: GSI-10 Rotation speed: 0.8 seconds Detector configuration: 64 x 0.625 Slice thickness: 0.625 mm Pitch: 1.375:1 SFOV: 50 cm kVp: Low/High (80/140 kVp) Spectral curves aid physicians in seeing, characterizing, and quantifying material characteristics of small lesions. Relative to conventional CT exams, the Discovery CT750 HD allows you to better observe small lesion enhancement thanks to spectral curve.