LAUSR

.c om Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) was first attempted in the 1970s, but because of technical challenges, it was not until 2006 that the first DECT system was made clinically available. In the decade since its introduction into the clinical arena, the applications and clinical indications of DECT have exponentially increased. Although neuroradiologic applications initially lagged behind some other subspecialties, it is becoming increasingly apparent that DECT can be applied to a wide range of indications in the brain, spine, and the head and neck, with the potential to increase diagnostic confidence, efficiency, and accuracy. Modern DECT scanning platforms allow for simultaneous or near simultaneous image acquisition at two different energy spectra, generating data sets that can be postprocessed to provide tissue characterization and material differentiation that cannot be obtained using single-energy computed tomography. In neuroradiologic and head and neck imaging, these advanced capabilities and the multitude of possible reconstructions bring to mind MR imaging sequences.