Diagnostic accuracy of Dual-Energy CT in detecting traumatic vertebral bone marrow edema: a prospective comparative study with MRI in the context of a level I trauma center

TL;DR

This study compares Dual-Energy CT and MRI for detecting spinal bone marrow edema in trauma patients, finding DECT to be accurate, faster, and more cost-effective.

Contribution

The study demonstrates DECT's high diagnostic accuracy and practical advantages over MRI in detecting traumatic vertebral bone marrow edema in acute trauma settings.

Findings

DECT showed 82.9% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity for detecting vertebral bone marrow edema compared to MRI.

DECT examination time was 7.2 minutes versus 12 minutes for MRI, with a 49.1% cost saving per spinal segment.

The thoracolumbar junction (L3) had the highest DECT sensitivity (91.7%) for detecting bone marrow edema.

Abstract

Traumatic vertebral fractures present a significant diagnostic challenge in emergency settings. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) excels in detecting bone marrow edema but faces practical limitations in acute trauma care. This prospective study evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of Dual-Energy Computed Tomography (DECT) in detecting traumatic vertebral bone marrow edema within a Level I trauma center environment.

Between May 2020 and July 2023, 291 DECT examinations were performed on adult patients presenting with suspected or confirmed spinal injury. From these, 233 (80.1%) met quality criteria for analysis. A subgroup of 47 patients underwent additional MRI as reference standard, with 44 (93.6%) providing diagnostically evaluable images. Two board-certified radiologists independently assessed vertebral bone marrow edema presence in blinded, randomized evaluations using both modalities. Diagnostic parameters, examination times, radiation exposure, and cost-efficiency were analyzed.

DECT demonstrated an overall sensitivity of 82.9% and specificity of 96.6% for detecting vertebral bone marrow edema compared to MRI. The thoracolumbar junction showed highest sensitivity (91.7% for L3). DECT examination time was 7.2 minutes (including post-processing) versus 12 minutes for MRI, meaning MRI required 66.7% more time than DECT. DECT radiation exposure showed a mean dose-length product increase of only 3% compared to conventional CT. Body mass index showed no significant influence on DECT interpretability (p=0.196) or diagnostic accuracy except in isolated segments (L3, T11). Cost-benefit analysis revealed potential savings of 49.1% (€104.40) per spinal segment with DECT-based diagnostic pathways.

DECT offers high diagnostic accuracy for detecting traumatic vertebral bone marrow edema with substantial time and cost advantages compared to MRI. The technique demonstrates particular value in acute trauma settings, while acknowledging limitations from artifacts (19.9% of cases) primarily caused by medical devices. These findings support implementing DECT as an efficient alternative to MRI in spinal trauma diagnostics.

Figures