Accuracy of Calcium Scoring calculated from contrast-enhanced Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography using a dual-layer spectral CT: A comparison of Calcium Scoring from real and virtual non-contrast data

Purpose Modern non-invasive evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) requires non-contrast low dose Computed Tomography (CT) imaging for determination of Calcium Scoring (CACS) and contrast-enhanced imaging for evaluation of vascular stenosis. Several methods for calculation of CACS from contrast-enhanced images have been proposed before. The main principle for that is generation of virtual non-contrast images by iodine subtraction from a contrast-enhanced spectral CT dataset. However, those techniques have some limitations: Dual-Source CT imaging can lead to increased radiation exposure, and switching of the tube voltage (rapid kVp switching) can be associated with slower rotation speed of the gantry and is thus prone to motion artefacts that are especially critical in cardiac imaging. Both techniques cannot simultaneously acquire spectral data. A novel technique to overcome these difficulties is spectral imaging with a dual-layer detector. After absorption of the lower energetic photons in the first layer, the second layer detects a hardened spectrum of the emitted radiation resulting in registration of two different energy spectra at the same time. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the accuracy of virtual non-contrast CACS computed from spectral data in comparison to standard non-contrast imaging. Methods We consecutively investigated 20 patients referred to Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) with suspicion of CAD using a Dual-Layer spectral CT system (IQon; Philips Healthcare, The Netherlands). CACS was calculated from both, real- and virtual non-contrast images by certified software for medical use. Correlation analyses for real- and virtual non-contrast images and agreement evaluation with Bland-Altman-Plots were performed. Results Mean patient age was 57.7 ± 14 years (n = 20). 13 patients (65%) were male. Inter-quartile-range of clinical CACS was 0–448, the mean was 334. Correlation of CACS from real- and virtual non-contrast images was very high (0.94); p < 0.0001. The slope was 2.3 indicating that values from virtual non-contrast images are approximately half of the results obtained from real non-contrast data. Visual analysis of Bland-Altman-Plot shows good accordance of both methods when results from virtual non-contrast data are multiplied by the slope of the logistic regression model (2.3). The acquired power of this results is 0.99. Conclusion Determination of Calcium Score from contrast enhanced CCTA using spectral imaging with a dual-layer detector is feasible and shows good agreement with the conventional technique when a proportionality factor is applied. The observed difference between both methods is due to an underestimation of plaque volume, and—to an even greater extend -an underestimation of plaque density with the virtual non-contrast approach. Our data suggest that radiation exposure can be reduced through omitting additional native scans for patients referred to CCTA when using a dual-layer spectral system without the usual limitations of dual energy analysis.