Abdominal CT: An intra-individual comparison between virtual monochromatic spectral and polychromatic 120-kVp images obtained during the same examination

•We compared virtual monochromatic spectral (VMS) images with 120-kVp images.•VMS images are generated using accurate two-material beam-hardening correction.•Abdominal 70-keV VMS images provide better image quality than 120-kVp images.•Iterative reconstruction can further improve the image quality of VMS images.

ObjectivesTo compare quantitative and subjective image quality between virtual monochromatic spectral (VMS) and conventional polychromatic 120-kVp imaging performed during the same abdominal computed tomography (CT) examination.Materials and methodsOur institutional review board approved this prospective study; each participant provided written informed consent. 51 patients underwent sequential fast kVp-switching dual-energy (80/140 kVp, volume CT dose index: 12.7 mGy) and single-energy (120-kVp, 12.7 mGy) abdominal enhanced CT over an 8 cm scan length with a random acquisition order and a 4.3-s interval. VMS images with filtered back projection (VMS-FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (so-called hybrid IR) (VMS-ASIR) (at 70 keV), as well as 120-kVp images with FBP (120-kVp-FBP) and ASIR (120-kVp-ASIR), were generated from dual-energy and single-energy CT data, respectively. The objective image noises, signal-to-noise ratios and contrast-to-noise ratios of the liver, kidney, pancreas, spleen, portal vein and aorta, and the lesion-to-liver and lesion-to-kidney contrast-to-noise ratios were measured. Two radiologists independently and blindly assessed the subjective image quality. The results were analyzed using the paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank sum test and mixed-effects model with Bonferroni correction.ResultsVMS-ASIR images were superior to 120-kVp-FBP, 120-kVp-ASIR and VMS-FBP images for all the quantitative assessments and the subjective overall image quality (all P < 0.001), while VMS-FBP images were superior to 120-kVp-FBP and 120-kVp-ASIR images (all P < 0.004).ConclusionsVMS images at 70 keV have a higher image quality than 120-kVp images, regardless of the application of hybrid IR. Hybrid IR can further improve the image quality of VMS imaging.