Table 3. The mean image noise and CNR for the AiCE and AIDR 3D protocols.
| Parameter | All patients | BMI <20 (n=7) | BMI 20–24.9 (n=37) | BMI ≥25 (n=27) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AiCE | AIDR 3D | P* | AiCE | AIDR 3D | P* | AiCE | AIDR 3D | P* | AiCE | AIDR 3D | P* | ||||
| Image noise (mean ± SD) | |||||||||||||||
| Erector spinae muscles | 11.7±6.3 | 12.9±6.6 | <0.001 | 9.5±1.7 | 11.6±3.4 | 0.028 | 10.8±6.2 | 11.7±6.5 | 0.002 | 13.6±6.8 | 14.8±7.0 | 0.054 | |||
| Hepatic parenchyma | 9.2±0.9 | 9.8±0.9 | <0.001 | 8.9±0.8 | 9.2±0.7 | 0.391 | 8.9±0.8 | 9.5±0.7 | <0.001 | 9.6±1.0 | 10.4±0.7 | <0.001 | |||
| CNR (mean ± SD) | |||||||||||||||
| Hepatic parenchyma | 5.0±1.5 | 4.3±1.3 | <0.001 | 5.3±1.5 | 4.3±0.9 | 0.033 | 5.3±1.3 | 4.7±1.3 | 0.001 | 4.4±1.5 | 3.7±1.2 | <0.001 | |||
*, statistical comparison using t-test. CNR, contrast-to-noise ratio; AiCE, advanced intelligent clear-IQ engine; AIDR 3D, adaptive iterative dose reduction 3D; BMI, body mass index; SD, standard deviation.