Evaluation of virtual monochromatic imaging combined with metal artifact reduction in low-dose dual-energy computed tomography: a phantom study.
- 1Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
- 2GE Healthcare, Computed Tomography Research Center, Beijing, China.
Abstract
Metal implants can cause substantial artifacts on computed tomography (CT), and the optimal virtual monochromatic (VM) energy for metal artifact reduction (MAR) remains uncertain. This study assessed metal-artifact reduction and overall image quality on low-dose dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) VM images reconstructed with Smart MAR. A multi-energy CT phantom (GPH-75B; Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) was scanned in DECT mode with a 12-mm titanium rod positioned at the center, right, and superior portions. VM images from 40 to 140 keV were reconstructed with MAR and without MAR (no-MAR). Image quality was assessed according to artifact and structure visibility scores, CT values, standard deviations (SDs), titanium-rod dimensions, structural similarity index (SSIM), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and root mean square error (RMSE). MAR and no-MAR measurements were compared via two-sided paired t-tests. Across the three titanium-rod positions, MAR generally reduced artifacts, improved titanium-rod edge visibility, and reduced geometric distortion compared with no-MAR. At every rod position and energy level, MAR yielded higher SSIM and PSNR and lower RMSE compared to no-MAR (all P values <0.05). At the central position, the transverse-to-longitudinal diameter ratio was 0.94-1.03 with MAR and 0.21-0.81 with no-MAR (all P values <0.001), remaining close to 1.0 at energies ≥60 keV with MAR. For MAR images, adjacent-structure clarity was highest at 60 keV. In both groups, SSIM and PSNR increased with increasing energy, whereas RMSE and image noise decreased. MAR consistently improved image quality across titanium-rod positions. In terms of artifact reduction, implant depiction, and adjacent-structure visibility, 60 to 80-keV VM images with MAR provided the most favorable overall performance under the tested low-dose conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{qu2026evaluation,
title = {{Evaluation of virtual monochromatic imaging combined with metal artifact reduction in low-dose dual-energy computed tomography: a phantom study.}},
author = {Tingting Qu and Ganglian Fan and Yanan Li and Lihong Chen and Le Cao and Jianying Li and Jianxin Guo},
journal = {Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.21037/qims-2026-1454},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997956},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluation of virtual monochromatic imaging combined with metal artifact reduction in low-dose dual-energy computed tomography: a phantom study.
AU - Tingting Qu
AU - Ganglian Fan
AU - Yanan Li
AU - Lihong Chen
AU - Le Cao
AU - Jianying Li
AU - Jianxin Guo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery
DO - 10.21037/qims-2026-1454
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997956
AB - Metal implants can cause substantial artifacts on computed tomography (CT), and the optimal virtual monochromatic (VM) energy for metal artifact reduction (MAR) remains uncertain. This study assessed metal-artifact reduction and overall image quality on low-dose dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) VM images reconstructed with Smart MAR. A multi-energy CT phantom (GPH-75B; Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) was scanned in DECT mode with a 12-mm titanium rod positioned at the center, right, and superior portions. VM images from 40 to 140 keV were reconstructed with MAR and without MAR (no-MAR). Image quality was assessed according to artifact and structure visibility scores, CT values, standard deviations (SDs), titanium-rod dimensions, structural similarity index (SSIM), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and root mean square error (RMSE). MAR and no-MAR measurements were compared via two-sided paired t-tests. Across the three titanium-rod positions, MAR generally reduced artifacts, improved titanium-rod edge visibility, and reduced geometric distortion compared with no-MAR. At every rod position and energy level, MAR yielded higher SSIM and PSNR and lower RMSE compared to no-MAR (all P values <0.05). At the central position, the transverse-to-longitudinal diameter ratio was 0.94-1.03 with MAR and 0.21-0.81 with no-MAR (all P values <0.001), remaining close to 1.0 at energies ≥60 keV with MAR. For MAR images, adjacent-structure clarity was highest at 60 keV. In both groups, SSIM and PSNR increased with increasing energy, whereas RMSE and image noise decreased. MAR consistently improved image quality across titanium-rod positions. In terms of artifact reduction, implant depiction, and adjacent-structure visibility, 60 to 80-keV VM images with MAR provided the most favorable overall performance under the tested low-dose conditions.
SN - 2223-4292
SN - 2223-4306
ER -