Functional Parameters in Quantitative CT: Clinical Significance and Diagnostic Applications
A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Imaging and Theranostics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 538
Editors
Interests: ARDS; lung; mechanical ventilation; ventilation; computed tomography; GCC, perfusion; SPECT
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Centro Diagnostico Italiano (CDI), 20147 Milano, Italy
Interests: oncology imaging; CT; MRI; breast imaging; prostate imaging; photon counting CT
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The present Special Issue wishes to explain the relationship between morphological and functional data obtained by imaging.
CT scans had been developed for diagnostic purposes, and the radiologist focuses on the morphological alterations derived from disease. Radiology textbooks always present a list of diseases and their appearance. Here, we instead wish to explain the physiological mechanisms behind imaging. A CT scan also offers the possibility to obtain quantitative and functional imaging data. These data can be applied to almost every organ, making available to the clinician data that are overlooked.
Quantitative analysis of CT scans has been applied to the study of respiratory failure, leading to the “baby lung concept”, explaining the mechanism of hypoxemia and compliance reduction in acute respiratory distress syndrome. The injection of contrast allows the determination of organ perfusion, applied to the measurement of ischemic core and penumbra. These two applications are part of the clinical routine, while other applications never become routine clinical applications.
Measuring enhancement, it is possible to quantify kidney function, obtaining data similar to kidney scintigraphy, allowing evaluation of split kidney function, and avoiding the need for a separate nuclear medicine study. Cardiac CT allows the visualization of the beating heart, obtaining a series of functional data beyond the study of coronary arteries. While MRI flow measurement is entering clinical routine, CT scan flow measurement remains experimental.
Finally, we will address the issue of why quantitative CT scan analysis has never entered routine clinical practice and how AI can help solve this issue.
Here is a tentative list of issues:
- Brain perfusion measurement in stroke.
- Quantitative analysis of lung parenchyma: sponge lung and recruitment.
- Determination of lung perfusion and ventilation.
- Principles of perfusion measurements.
- Kidney: evaluation of GFR and left/right kidney function—comparison with renal scintigraphy.
- Dual energy determination of adrenal fat content.
- Heart: functional parameters from cardiac CT.
- Carotid artery: evaluation of flow velocity to obtain a comprehensive exam.
- MRI-derived evaluation of liver function and possible extension to k-edge photon counting CT.
- Concentration of gadolinium in the biliary tree and functional biliary image.
- Obstacle to routine clinical application and possible role of AI.
Dr. Massimo Cressoni
Dr. Fatemeh Darvizeh
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- computed tomography
- dual energy
- adrenal adenoma
- cardiac function
- kidney function
- perfusion
- contrast media
- flow velocity
- artificial intelligence
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