Introduction: Dual-energy computed tomography acquires two simultaneous datasets of the same anatomical structures, at different x-ray energy levels. There are different technical approaches for DECT scanning, specified by the manufacturer. In clinical practice DECT is used for diagnosing different types of pathology, such as pulmonary embolism. Purpose: The purpose of our diploma work is to find out, if is the radiation dose of DECTA higher or equivalent to conventional CTA, what quantity of iodine contrast medium is used for DECTA and what advantages offers DECTA. Methods: We used a descriptive research method and did a systematic literature review. We searched for articles about DECT and pulmonary angiography for diagnose pulmonary embolism. We reviewed the following databases: COBISS, Pub Med CENTRAL, Medline, DiKUL, Science Direct, CINAHL and Springel Link. All documents were searched with key words in Slovene and English language. Results: After review of seven databases, we found 379 useful documents. We reduced selection to 49 articles and then excluded documents, which weren't answering to our goals. In diploma work we presented results of only 16 suitable articles. Discussion and conclusion: Based on the analyzed articles we found out, that radiation dose depends on protocol optimization, but DETCA has comparable or even reduced radiation dose than convencial CTA. Also used quantity of iodine contrast medium can be lower for DECTA in comperison to CTA. Main advantages of DECTA are image reconstructions, like pulmonary perfusion and ventilation maps, VNC and VMI.
|