For the purpose of evaluating in vitro, the capability of the SPCCT system to differentiate between the contrast agents, a phantom imaging study was performed. A custom-made polyoxymethylene cylindrical phantom with a diameter of 13 cm and 10 holes of 1.5 cm in diameter was used. Samples were loaded into the phantom using 1.5-mL polypropylene centrifuge tubes (Dominique Dutscher SAS, Brumath, France). A set of 10 tubes was prepared, consisting of contrast agents of a wide range of concentrations and diluted in phosphate buffered saline (PBS),
9 (link),12 (link) a tube of calcium phosphate (used as a bone simulant), and one of PBS. The contrast agents were gadolinium (
Dotarem [gadoterate meglumine], 0.5 mmol/mL; Guerbet, Villepinte, France) and iodine (Xenetix [iobitridol], 350 mg/mL; Guerbet, Aulnay-sous-Bois, France) at concentrations of 2, 5, 8, and 12 mg/mL. The concentration ranges for the 2 clinically available contrast agents was based on current practice.
Si-Mohamed S., Thivolet A., Bonnot P.E., Bar-Ness D., Képénékian V., Cormode D.P., Douek P, & Rousset P. (2018). Improved Peritoneal Cavity and Abdominal Organ Imaging Using a Biphasic Contrast Agent Protocol and Spectral Photon Counting Computed Tomography K-Edge Imaging. Investigative Radiology, 53(10), 629-639.