Introduction Three-dimensional (3D) evaluation of the osseous glenoid is preferred over two-dimensional
by orthopaedic surgeons, but 3D-computed tomography (CT) reformats cannot be calculated
from a CT after arthrography with the conventional technique. The purpose of this
study was to evaluate the quality of virtual noncontrast (VNC) 3D-CT reformats of
the glenoid for patients who received dual-energy computed tomography arthrography
(DECT-A) of the shoulder with image postprocessing.
Material and Methods A total of 21 patients (33.2 ± 2.8 years of age) received a DECT scan of the shoulder
(80 kV/140 kV) after arthrography with a reduced dose protocol (80 mg iodine/ml solution).
VNC 3D-CT reformats were calculated with image postprocessing (syngo.via, Siemens
Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany). Overall image quality of the reconstructed cross-sectional
DECT-A images and the quality of the VNC 3D-CT reformats were evaluated on a 5-point
Likert scale. Radiation dose parameters (CT dose index [CTDI], dose length product
[DLP], and effective dose with a conversion factor of k = 0.014) and intra-articular
contrast material enhancement measured on bone kernel images were calculated.
Results Calculation of VNC 3D-CT reformats was successful in 21 of 21 (100%) of DECT-A scans
of shoulders. Cross-sectional overall image quality and the quality of the VNC 3D-CT
reformats were rated good (4.1 and 3.9, respectively). Mean CTDI with standard deviation
was 12.0 ± 5.7 mGy, DLP was 141.1 ± 72.3 mGy·cm, and effective dose was 1.97 ± 1.0
mSv. The mean intra-articular contrast material enhancement was 1167 ± 244 HU.
Conclusion With image postprocessing VNC, 3D-CT reformats of the glenoid can be calculated successfully
from DECT-A with a reduced intra-articular dose of contrast material. Cross-sectional
DECT-A images and VNC 3D-CT reformats showed good image quality.