BACKGROUND Quantitative lung computed tomography (CT) provides fundamental information about lung aeration in critically ill patients. We tested a scanning protocol combining reduced number of CT slices and tube current, comparing quantitative analysis and radiation exposure to conventional CT. METHODS In pigs, CT scans were performed during breath hold in a model of lung injury with three di...

Introduction: The quality of CT images used for treatment planning of cancer patients is an important issue in accurate outlining of the tumor volume and organs at risk. Different kernels in CT scanner systems are available for improving the image quality. Applying these kernels  on   CT  images  will  change   the   CT  numbers  and  electron   density   of   tissues, conse...

A Monte Carlo shielding model for PET/CT clinics Robert L. Metzger and Kenneth A. Van Riper Radiation Safety Engineering, Inc Chandler, AZ Abstract Modern PET/CT clinics consist of a scanner room housing the double gantry PET/CT unit and a control area, two or more quiet rooms where patients rest prior to scanning, and a hot lab where doses are prepared. Of these areas, the scanner room, quiet ...

Protocol review is important to decrease the risk of patient injury and increase the consistency of CT image quality. A large volume of CT protocols makes manual review labor-intensive, error-prone, and costly. To address these challenges, we have developed a software system for automatically managing and monitoring CT proto-cols on a frequent basis. This article describes our experiences in th...

Whole body biodistribution of 100 nanometer sized polymer micellar nanoparticles (NPs) was determined following intranasal administration using PET/CT imaging on a clinical scanner. Nanoparticles labeled with Zirconium 89 were administered intranasally or intravenously to Sprague Dawley rats followed by serial ex vivo PET/CT imaging in a clinical scanner. At 30 minutes and 1 hour following intr...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of iterative reconstruction (IR) on reconstruction time and speed in two commonly encountered acquisition protocols in an emergency setting: pulmonary CT angiography (CTA) and total body trauma CT. METHODS Twenty-five patients underwent a pulmonary CTA for evaluation of pulmonary embolisms and 15 patients underwent a total body CT after a traumatic event on ...

We describe a simple, safe, and inexpensive image overlay system to assist surgical interventions inside a conventional CT scanner. The overlay system is mounted non-invasively on the gantry of the CT scanner and it consists of a seven degrees-of-freedom passive mounting arm, a flat LCD display, and a light brown acrylic plate as a half mirror. In a pre-operative calibration process, the displa...

BACKGROUND The diagnostic performance of the latest 64-slice CT scanner, with increased temporal (165 ms) and spatial (0.4 mm3) resolution, to detect significant stenoses in the clinically relevant coronary tree is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 52 patients (34 men; mean age, 59.6+/-12.1 years) with atypical chest pain, stable or unstable angina pectoris, or non-ST-segment elevation ...