ABSTRACT
Technological improvements in cross-sectional imaging continue to better define adrenal anatomy and improve characterization of adrenal lesions. Multidetector computed tomography (CT) scanners can produce submillimeter axial slice thickness, and these data are then used to generate a volumetric data set. Images can then be reconstructed in any orientation with isotropic resolution, where resolution is equal in all three dimensions. As the number of CT detectors has increased and the rotation time of the X-ray tube has decreased, scan times have been dramatically diminished to a few seconds. At the same time, newer scanners can accomplish this with a reduced radiation dose by utilizing a technique termed iterative reconstruction. When CT images are acquired using a lower radiation dose, there is a greater amount of image noise present. Iterative reconstruction is an algorithm used to reconstruct two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) images that are relatively insensitive to noise compared with traditional reconstruction techniques. It produces an optimal image, even when the acquired data are incomplete, as occurs in the setting of metal artifact.
