Diagnosis of lumbar spinal fractures in emergency department: low-dose versus standard-dose CT using model-based iterative reconstruction.

PURPOSE: To compared the diagnostic performance of low-dose (LD) lumbar-spine (L-spine) CT with that of standard-dose (SD) L-spine CT.

METHODS: Patients who underwent SD (n = 76) or LD (n = 68) L-spine CT using model-based iterative reconstruction were included. Two reviewers independently analyzed 10 anatomical regions on both CT scans. Also, suggested treatment decision between both CT scans was compared.

RESULTS: LD L-spine CT showed an excellent diagnostic accuracy (98.1-98.2%) that was comparable to that of SD L-spine CT (98.4-99.1%). The suggested treatment decision was not different between both CT scans.

CONCLUSION: LD L-spine CT can be used as a potential first-line diagnostic tool.