The Role of Dual-Energy Computed Tomography in Assessment of Abdominal Oncology and Beyond

The added value and strength of dual-energy computed tomography for the evaluation of oncologic patients revolve around the use of lower-energy reconstructed images and iodine material density images. Lower kiloelectron volt simulated monoenergetic images optimize soft tissue tumor to nontumoral attenuation differences and increase contrast to noise ratios to improve lesion detection. Iodine material density images or maps are helpful from a qualitative standpoint for image interpretation because they result in improved detection and characterization of tumors and lymph node involvement and from a quantitative assessment by enabling interrogation of specific properties of tissues to predict and assess therapeutic response.