Dual Energy

The Dual Energy is an advanced radiographic application that can improve the efficiency and the diagnostic results by eliminating anatomical structures that could otherwise hide pathologies.

The Dual Energy acquisition allows the separation of soft tissue from hard tissue by image subtraction, thus obtaining two distinct images, one for each component. This technique takes advantage of the differences in the attenuation of low and high energy of the respective tissues. Double-exposure Dual Energy is based on two consecutive ray emissions at different kVp, with a single detector.

The result of the acquired images strongly depends on the energy and on the time elapsing between the two exposures. The energy values used are normally in the range of 60-90 kVp for the low-energy exposure and 120-150 kVp for the high-energy one, while the time between the two exposures must be limited to its maximum in order to reduce the artifacts due to the patient’s movement.

It is mainly used in chest radiographies because they are the most difficult to interpret. As a matter of fact, the dense structure of the ribs which includes and covers the underlying complex anatomy of the lungs and the heart are located in the chest.

By managing to provide two separate images of bone tissue and soft tissue, the Dual Energy is a valid diagnosis support for radiologists, as it improves the visualization of the patient’s anatomy.