The ABCs of Dual-Energy CT

Dual-energy CT (DECT), also called multienergy or spectral CT, has been available to diagnostic radiologists since the early 2000s. This innovation was made possible through improvements and progress in CT technology and was based on work originally conducted in the 1970s by Geoffrey Hounsfield [1]. The ability of DECT to improve tissue characterization and assess material composition was first shown in the 1970s [2]. However, at that time, its clinical use was limited by technical factors, such as lengthy CT acquisition times leading to excessive motion artifacts [3], high radiation exposures, and variable tube currents at lower tube voltages compared with higher tube voltages [4].