The feasibility study of CT perfusion imaging of rabbit brain with 70 kV tube voltage

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of low dose CT perfusion imaging of brain using the tube voltage of 70 kV. Methods: Twenty New Zealand white rabbits underwent cerebral CT perfusion imaging with tube voltage 70 and 80 kV separately, and the interval between two scans was 24 h. The effective dosage (E), cerebral perfusion parameters (CBF, CBV, MTT) and image quality indicator (SNR) of middle cerebral artery of each protocol were acquired and compared statistically. Results: The effective dosage of 70 kV group was 1.91 mSv, 34.8% lower than that of 80 kV group with the dose of 2.93 mSv. There were no significant differences between the cerebral perfusion parameters acquired at different corresponding ROI. SNR of 70 kV group and 80 kV group were (23.15±5.98) and (21.23±9.18) with no significantly statistical difference. Conclusions: The effective dosage of 70 kV cerebral CT perfusion imaging could be dramatically reduced with no significant influence on the results of perfusion parameters and image quality. (authors)