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Enhanced gray-white matter differentiation on non-enhanced CT using a frequency selective non-linear blending

  • Diagnostic Neuroradiology
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Abstract

Introduction

The aim if this study is to find out if contrast between gray (GM) and white matter (WM) on non-enhanced brain CT (NECT) can be enhanced by using a frequency selective non-linear blending.

Methods

Thirty consecutive patients (40 % female; mean age 67.73 ± 12.71 years), who underwent NECT of the brain, were retrospectively included in this study. Brain scan readings were performed by two radiologists independently, for NECT and subsequently the images were read using a new frequency selective non-linear blending algorithm (best contrast, BC). Optimal settings of BC for enhanced delineation of anatomical structures were set at an averaged center of 30 HU, averaged delta of 5 HU, and a slope of 5. For contrast-to-noise ratio calculation (CNR), gray and white matter attenuation values were measured for both NECT and BC in different anatomical structures.

Results

CNR increase in the gray matter was 5.91 ± 2.45 for the cortical gray matter and 4.41 ± 1.82 for the basal ganglia. The contrast ratio between cortical gray and white matter was 1.87 and 1.7 (basal ganglia/WM) for BC quantification vs. 1.43 (cortex/WM) and 1.33 (basal ganglia/WM) for standard NECT (both p < 0.0001). Improved CNR did not depend on the anatomical structures measured.

Conclusion

Frequency selective non-linear blending allows better discrimination between WM and GM and therefore may enhance diagnostic accuracy of NECT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard Karls-University Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany

    Georg Bier, Malte Niklas Bongers & Marius Horger

  2. Imaging & Therapy Division, Siemens AG Healthcare Sector, Forchheim, Germany

    Hendrik Ditt

  3. Department of Neuroradiology, Eberhard Karls-University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany

    Benjamin Bender & Ulrike Ernemann

Authors
  1. Georg Bier
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  2. Malte Niklas Bongers
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  3. Hendrik Ditt
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  4. Benjamin Bender
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  5. Ulrike Ernemann
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  6. Marius Horger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Georg Bier.

Ethics declarations

We declare that all human studies have been approved by the ethics committee of the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. We declare that due to the retrospective nature of this study, informed consent was waived.

Conflict of interest

HD is an employee of Siemens AG.

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Bier, G., Bongers, M.N., Ditt, H. et al. Enhanced gray-white matter differentiation on non-enhanced CT using a frequency selective non-linear blending. Neuroradiology 58, 649–655 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-016-1674-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-016-1674-1

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