DUAL ENERGY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (DECT): THE NOVEL ASSISTIVE IMAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR HAND TENDON DISPLAY

Objective: The goal of this study is to determine the preliminary applicability of dual energy CT (DECT) in the evaluation of hand tendon display.

Methods: Twenty-five patients who were suspected of having hand tendon lesions were scanned using dual energy CT (DECT). This technique was used in combination with Volume Rendering Technique (VRT) and Multi-Planar Reconstruction (MPR). Two experienced radiologists observed the lesions of the tendons and circumambient tissues. All results were proved by operation or combination with clinical and other imaging modalities.

Results: DECT could display most of the hand tendons clearly. This technique clearly detected 40 pathological changes in 18 patients. These lesions included tendon adhesion, compression, atrophy, and rupture. Only three adhesion lesions in the distal of extensor digitoium tendon were not observed in DECT images. The accuracy of diagnosis was 93.0%. DECT could also detect the abnormalities in skeletal structure and soft tissues precisely, in addition to detection of tendon lesions.

Conclusion: Dual energy CT (DECT) provides a novel assistive tool to display hand tendons, as a supplementary imaging technology for MRI and ultrasound.