Objective To observe the effect of energy CT and color mapping to optimize displaying of ossification after lumbar interbody fusion.Methods A total of 76 patients who underwent lumbar fusion were retrospectively enrolled.According to the way of rescanning CT,the patients were divided into energy CT group(n=30)and traditional CT group(n=46).Subjective scoring of imaging quality of both groups on anatomic details,i.e.ossification of bone graft particles in the interbody fusion zone,cancellous bone growth near the endplate in the vertebral body,bone bridge connecting the interface between the fusion zone and the endplate in the vertebral body,as well as image artifacts were performed using a five-point scale.The image noise(SD value),and radiation dose represented by dose length product(DLP)were measured and compared between groups.Results Compared with traditional CT group,energy CT group had elevated subjective scores for anatomical details(4.50[4.28,4.50]vs.3.80[3.50,4.00])and image artifacts(4.30[4.00,4.50]vs.3.60[3.50,4.00]),while significantly lower SD value(37.22[34.90,38.85]HU vs.57.50[53.30,68.59]HU)and DLP(255.28[177.57,321.26]mGy·cm vs.327.60[298.13,415.95]mGy·cm)(all P＜0.05).Compared with grayscale images,images processed with color mapping demonstrated enhanced visualization of osseous details.Conclusion Energy CT after lumbar fusion could reduce image artifacts and improve the visualization of anatomical details at a lower radiation dose compared to conventional CT,while color mapping might further enhance the clarity of osseous details.

Objective To observe the effect of energy CT and color mapping to optimize displaying of ossification after lumbar interbody fusion.Methods A total of 76 patients who underwent lumbar fusion were retrospectively enrolled.According to the way of rescanning CT,the patients were divided into energy CT group(n=30)and traditional CT group(n=46).Subjective scoring of imaging quality of both groups on anatomic details,i.e.ossification of bone graft particles in the interbody fusion zone,cancellous bone growth near the endplate in the vertebral body,bone bridge connecting the interface between the fusion zone and the endplate in the vertebral body,as well as image artifacts were performed using a five-point scale.The image noise(SD value),and radiation dose represented by dose length product(DLP)were measured and compared between groups.Results Compared with traditional CT group,energy CT group had elevated subjective scores for anatomical details(4.50[4.28,4.50]vs.3.80[3.50,4.00])and image artifacts(4.30[4.00,4.50]vs.3.60[3.50,4.00]),while significantly lower SD value(37.22[34.90,38.85]HU vs.57.50[53.30,68.59]HU)and DLP(255.28[177.57,321.26]mGy·cm vs.327.60[298.13,415.95]mGy·cm)(all P＜0.05).Compared with grayscale images,images processed with color mapping demonstrated enhanced visualization of osseous details.Conclusion Energy CT after lumbar fusion could reduce image artifacts and improve the visualization of anatomical details at a lower radiation dose compared to conventional CT,while color mapping might further enhance the clarity of osseous details.