Dose reduction of iodinated contrast medium in CT: systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The implementation of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) equipment, among many other advantages, has allowed a substantial reduction in the dose of iodinated contrast media (ICM). The present study constitutes the first part of a systematic review on the subject using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis method through an electronic search in the Lilacs, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Of 482 potential articles, 23 were ultimately included in this review. The results show that it is feasible to reduce ICM doses between 15.8% and 83% in DECT equipment, obtaining excellent image quality, with signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios comparable or better than in 120 kVp images obtained with conventional CT equipment and standard doses of ICM. The above, thanks to the use of iterative reconstruction and noise reduction algorithms that allow the low energy images obtained through DECT to be improved.