APPLICATION OF SPECTRAL CT IN ONCOLOGY AT THONG NHAT HOSPITAL
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Abstract
Spectral computed tomography (Spectral CT) is an advanced technology that is increasingly being applied in oncology. Spectral CT allows for tissue characterization beyond that of conventional CT as imaging is performed using different energy spectra that can help differentiate tissues based on their specific attenuation properties at different X-ray energies. The most common post-processing applications of Spectral CT include virtual monoenergetic images (MONO-E), iodine density overlay, virtual non-contrast images (VNC), and calcium supprression image. The diverse image sets obtained from Spectral CT offer numerous advantages, such as enhanced lesion detection and characterization, accurate determination of material composition, reduced iodine contrast dose, and reduced artifacts. These versatile applications play an increasingly important role in tumor evaluation and oncologic imaging, including the diagnosis of primary tumors, local and metastatic staging, post-treatment monitoring, and management of complications. This paper provides an overview of the main applications, post-processing techniques, and demonstrate some clinical cases from Thong Nhat Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City to highlight the role of Spectral CT in the management of cancer patients.
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