Yun Liu MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Xuemei Wang, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Xingjuan Wang, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Xiaolu Ren, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Hua I. Shi MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Lulu Yang MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Shaoning Yan, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To investigate the feasibility of differentiating lung cancer from inflammatory lesions by using spectral CT imaging.

82 patients with pulmonary focal lesions (57 patients with lung cancer and 25 patients with inflammatory lesions) underwent plain and enhanced CT scans with spectral imaging mode. Spectral CT imaging related parameters for lesions such as calcium concentration in the plain CT phase and normalized iodine concentration (NIC, to that of aorta) and spectral HU curve in the enhanced CT phase were obtained. The slope k of the spectral HU curve was calculated as k=[HU(40keV)-HU(90keV)]/50. All results were analyzed with independent samples t test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to determine threshold parameters for optimizing sensitivity and specificity in differentiating lung cancer and inflammatory lesions.

(1) In the plain CT: The calcium concentrations of lung cancer and inflammatory lesions were (3.41±1.48mg/ml) and (4.59±2.65mg/ml), respectively with significant differences between the two groups (t=-2.09, p=0.045). (2) In the enhanced CT: The slope k and NIC were (1.60±0.35, 0.12±0.02) and (1.94±0.62, 0.15±0.04) for lung cancer and inflammatory lesions, respectively, with statistical differences between the two groups (all p<0.05). (3) With value of 1.80, the slope in the enhanced CT provided relatively high sensitivity (72%) and specificity (76%) in differentiating lung cancer from inflammatory lesions, and the area under curve was 0.75.

Spectral CT imaging provides additional parameters (slope of spectral curve and NIC) than conventional CT to provide relatively high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating lung cancer from inflammatory lesions.

With additional information, Spectral CT may provide better solution for differentiating lung cancer from inflammatory lesions than conventional CT.

Liu, Y, Wang, X, Wang, X, Ren, X, Shi, H, Yang, L, Yan, S, Differentiating Lung Cancer from Inflammatory Lesions Using Spectral CT Imaging.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14004522.html