Metastatic Cancer, Neoplasm Metastasis, Neoplasms
Conditions
Keywords
Spectral CT, CT, Computed Tomography, Radiation Dose, Dose Efficiency
Brief summary
CT-Staging is crucial for therapy planning of patients with malignancies. Dose efficiency and image quality are important parameters for these examinations. Up to now, scientific evidence of dose efficiency of modern CT scanners is mostly derived from retrospective analyses. This prospective study systematically analyzes dose efficiency and image quality of three modern CT scanners by randomization of patients who are scheduled for a CT scan to examine the status of malignancies. After giving informed consent and randomization (1:1:1), the CT scan will be performed at one of the modern CT scanners available at our department. This will allow a systematic allocation to the different scanners.
Interventions
DIAGNOSTIC_TESTScan at CT scanner 1
Patients will undergo imaging on a modern CT scanner with spectral imaging capabilities. A dose neutral spectral acquisition mode will routinely be used. Contrast material protocol and scan ranges are similar among all three arms.
DIAGNOSTIC_TESTScan at CT scanner 2
Patients will undergo imaging on a modern 128 slice CT-scanner without spectral imaging capabilities. A standard acquisition protocol will be used. Contrast material protocol and scan ranges are similar among all three arms.
DIAGNOSTIC_TESTScan at CT scanner 3
Patients will undergo imaging on a modern 20 slice CT-scanner without spectral imaging capabilities. A standard acquisition protocol will be used. Contrast material protocol and scan ranges are similar among all three arms.
Sponsors
University Hospital Augsburg
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Masking description
no masking required
Intervention model description
Randomization of patients referred for a staging CT scan one of three CT scanners routinely used for this purpose in our department
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* clinical suspicion of a malignancy or known / confirmed malignancy AND * indication for contrast-enhanced CT of the body confirmed by board-certified radiologist ('justifying indication' according to German/European radiation protection law) AND * patient (is able to give informed consent and) has given informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
* age \< 18 years * known or suspected pregnancy * contraindications for contrast agent (renal failure, allergy, hyperthyroidism)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Objective Image Quality | 1 year | measured as signal, noise and modulation transfer function equivalent parameters derived from patient scans |
| Radiation Dose | 1 year | measured as x-ray tube parameters such as dose length product (DLP) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Subjective Image Quality (entire cohort and for individual disease groups) | 1 year | measured by blinded evaluation by radiologists |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Primary ContactFlorian Schwarz, MD
Outcome results
None listed