Material density dual-energy CT images: value added in early diagnosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis : Original research

Objective: To assess the value of material density (MD) images generated from a rapid kilovoltage-switching dual-energy CT (rsDECT) in early detection of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC).

Materials and methods: Thirty patients (60 ± 13 years; 24 women) with PC detected on multiple abdominal DECT scans were included. Four separate DECTs with varying findings of PC from each patient were used for qualitative/quantitative analysis, resulting in a total of 120 DECT scans (n = 30 × 4). Three radiologists independently reviewed DECT images (65 keV alone and 65 keV + MD) for diagnosis of PC (diagnostic confidence, lesion conspicuity, sharpness/delineation and image quality) using a 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative estimation of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was done. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Odds ratio calculation were used to compare between the two protocols. Inter-observer agreement was evaluated using Kappa coefficient analysis. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: 65 keV + MD images showed a slightly higher sensitivity (89%[95%CI:84,92]) for PC detection compared with 65 keV images alone without statistical significance (84%[95%CI:78,88], p = 0.11) with the experienced reader showing significant improvement (98%[95%CI:93,100] vs. 90%[95%CI:83,94], p = 0.02). On a per-patient basis, use of MD images allowed earlier diagnosis for PC in an additional 13-23% of patients. On sub-group analysis, earlier diagnosis of PC was particularly beneficial in patients with BMI ≤ 29.9 kg/m². 65 keV + MD images showed higher diagnostic confidence, lesion conspicuity, and lesion sharpness for the experienced reader (p < 0.001). CNR was higher in MD images (1.7 ± 0.5) than 65 keV images (0.1 ± 0.02, p < 0.001). All readers showed moderate interobserver agreement for determining PC by both protocols (κ = 0.58 and κ = 0.47).

Conclusion: MD images allow earlier and improved detection of PC with the degree of benefit varying based on reader experience and patient body habitus.