Thanks to the new image processing algorithm, the dose of X-rays during perfusion computed tomography can be reduced by 20 times, informs the ‘EurekAlert service.
Perfusion computed tomography is a method that not only obtains an image of anatomical body sections, but also assesses blood flow and vascular permeability. This technique can be very useful, for example, in the diagnosis of stroke, cancer and heart disease.
A typical perfusion computed tomography takes about half a minute – the patient is given a converting agent into the blood vessels – an iodine-containing fluid that strongly absorbs x-rays. The same area is then scanned multiple times, allowing you to see how the contrast is spreading.
Last year, due to an apparatus failure in Los Angeles, hundreds of people were overexposed during perfusion computed tomography. While investigating this accident, the team of Cynthia Mc Collough from the Mayo Clinic developed a new algorithm, thanks to which a study that gives the same amount of information can be performed using a priming dose as much as 95 percent (or 20 times) lower (PAP).