Image Quality and Radiation Dose of Lower Extremity CT Angiography in 128 Slice Dual-Source CT: Comparison of High Pitch and Low Pitch

Abstract

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a chronic and progressive disease mainly influencing the lower extremities, and it is a major cause of hypofunction which worsens quality of life in a large portion of western populations. PAD occurs in approximately 20% of adults older than 55 years of age and in an estimated 27 million patients in North America and Europe (1). Conventional angiography is the gold standard for evaluation of peripheral arterial occlusive disease of lower extremity. However, it is an invasive technique that requires hospitalization, and it has a small risk of variable complications such as dissection, micro-emboli, and even pseudo-aneurysms (2). Since clinical applications of CT angiography (CTA) have been reported, CTA has been Original Article