The new ultralow dose CT protocol for the diagnosis of fractures of the ankle: A prospective comparative study with conventional CT

Abstract

Purpose: Computerized tomography (CT) imaging is increasingly being used to evaluate patients with ankle trauma. However, conventional CT (C CT) has a significantly higher radiation dose (RD) than plain radiography. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of ultra-low-dose CT (ULDCT) protocol for ankle fractures. Methods: Ninety-eight consecutive patients who had ankle CT for suspected ankle fracture were included in our prospective study. C CT and ULDCT protocols were simultaneously performed on these 98 patients. Two observers independently evaluated ULDCT and C CT images. The effective RD of the ULDCT and C CT groups was calculated. Results: The interobserver agreement was 1 (perfect). ULDCT and C CT group images showed no significant difference in image quality. The effective RD of the ULDCT was significantly lower than the C CT (p < 0.001). Conclusions: By evaluating the results of this study, ULDCT proved to be a reliable diagnostic imaging method for fractures of the ankle. The satisfactory diagnostic image quality of the ULDCT protocol provides promising results. Level of Evidence: Level II/lesser quality RCT or prospective comparative study.