Whole-brain CT perfusion imaging using increased sampling intervals: A pilot study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of whole-brain perfusion imaging using the increased sampling interval protocol for 320-detector row dynamic-volume computed tomography (CT). A total of 12 volunteers were recruited. The novel protocols with 11 volumes (defined as protocol P11) and 15 volumes (defined as protocol P15) were performed on the volunteers to evaluate whether P11 and P15 are able to acquire comparable results to the standard protocol with 19 volumes (defined as protocol P19) according to the as-low-as-reasonably-achievable principle. All data were acquired using a dynamic-volume CT scanner with a 16 cm-wide detector with 320 rows. The scanned transverse images from volunteers were analyzed using the Volume-Engineered System workstation. The MedCalc software package was used for Bland-Altman analysis of all variables. The data inconsistency of mean transit time (MTT), cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and time to peak (TTP) between P11/P15 and P19 were all <5%, and the data were trustworthy. The mean differences of MTT, CBV, CBF and TTP between P15 and P19 were less than those between P11 and P19. The consistencies of perfusion parameters acquired with protocols P15 and P19 were higher compared with those acquired with P11. In whole-brain perfusion, the new protocol P15 has higher consistency with P19 than P11, and the radiation dose may be reduced by similar to 16% without degradation of perfusion parameters. Therefore, P15 should be recommended as a routine procedure in whole-brain perfusion imaging.