2026/06/20 by Laura Valentina Klüner, Sebastian Zensen, Hannah Peuster +8
paper · doi:10.1007/s00234-026-04075-9
crossref issued 2026/06/20 · crossref published 2026/06/20 · crossref published-online 2026/06/20 · crossref created 2026/06/20 · crossref published-print 2026/07/01 · crossref deposited 2026/07/31 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31
Abstract Purpose This study evaluated the relationship between image quality level (IQL), radiation dose, image noise, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in pediatric head CT, comparing energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT) and photon-counting CT (PCCT) across age-specific phantoms. Methods Head CT scans of 1-, 5-, and 10-year-old anthropomorphic phantoms were performed across a range of IQLs on EID-CT and PCCT. For each IQL, radiation dose, image noise, and SNR were recorded and compared between the two systems. Results PCCT required lower CTDI vol across all phantoms ( p p p = 0.012). Image noise was significantly lower in PCCT for brain parenchyma in the 1- and 5-year-old phantoms ( p p = 0.012). Over the full IQL-range (1-300) the average SNR was up to ~ 20% higher for brain parenchyma and ~ 50% higher for bone with PCCT than with EID-CT for all phantoms. Conclusion PCCT offers superior SNR for brain and bone while reducing radiation dose, with the largest radiation dose benefit in older pediatric phantoms, supporting optimized pediatric neuroimaging.