| Summary: | The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of double low-dose (low radiation
and low contrast medium doses) computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in the
diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. This retrospective study involved analysis of 59 patients
undergoing 64- and 128-slice CTPA examinations which were scanned with a pitch of 0.9 and 100
and 120 kVp, respectively, while flash mode of CTPA was done with a pitch of 3.2 and 120 kVp.
There were no significant differences in image quality assessment between the low kVp and standard
kVp or high-pitch CTPA protocols (p=0.181-0.186). The mean effective dose for the 100 kVp
protocol was significantly lower than that for the120 kVp and the flash mode protocols (p<0.001).
The contrast medium was between 35-45 ml for the 100 and 120 kVp protocols, and 20-30 ml for
the 120 kVp flash mode protocol. Double low-dose CT pulmonary angiography is feasible for
detection of pulmonary embolism with acquisition of diagnostic images.
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