Photon-Counting CT Versus Conventional CT for Carotid Plaque Assessment in Patients With Carotid Artery Stenosis

August 19, 2026 updated by: Xin Lou, Chinese PLA General Hospital

Prospective Comparison of Photon-Counting Detector CT and Conventional Energy-Integrating Detector CT for Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque Assessment in Patients With Carotid Artery Stenosis

This prospective observational study aims to compare photon-counting detector computed tomography angiography (PCD-CTA) with conventional energy-integrating detector computed tomography angiography (EID-CTA) for the assessment of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in patients with carotid artery stenosis.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

This prospective observational study aims to compare photon-counting detector computed tomography angiography (PCD-CTA) with conventional energy-integrating detector computed tomography angiography (EID-CTA) for the assessment of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in patients with carotid artery stenosis.

The study will evaluate differences between the two CT techniques in the visualization and quantitative characterization of carotid plaques, including plaque morphology, plaque burden, plaque components, calcification-related artifacts, and degree of carotid artery stenosis. Objective and subjective image quality will also be compared.

The study is intended to determine whether the improved spatial resolution and spectral imaging capabilities of photon-counting CT provide advantages over conventional CT for the characterization of carotid atherosclerotic disease.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
    • Beijing Municipality
      • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100853
        • Recruiting
        • Chinese PLA General Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of patients with carotid atherosclerotic stenosis referred for carotid CT angiography. Eligible participants will be prospectively enrolled before carotid artery intervention.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older.
  • Patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque or carotid artery stenosis.
  • Patients scheduled to undergo carotid artery stenting.
  • Patients undergoing preprocedural carotid CTA examination.
  • Ability to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known allergy to iodinated contrast material.
  • Severe renal insufficiency or other contraindications to contrast-enhanced CT.
  • Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy.
  • Severe motion or other artifacts resulting in nondiagnostic image quality.
  • Incomplete clinical or imaging data.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Patients With Carotid Artery Stenosis
Patients with carotid artery stenosis who undergo preprocedural carotid CT angiography will be prospectively enrolled. Carotid plaque characteristics and image quality will be evaluated and compared between photon-counting detector CT angiography and conventional energy-integrating detector CT angiography.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Carotid Plaque Visualization and Characterization on PCD-CTA Compared With Conventional EID-CTA
Time Frame: 1-4 years
Carotid atherosclerotic plaques will be independently evaluated on photon-counting detector CTA and conventional energy-integrating detector CTA.
1-4 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Contrast-to-noise ratio on PCD-CTA compared with conventional EID-CTA
Time Frame: 1-4years
Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) will be quantitatively calculated from measurements obtained on PCD-CTA and conventional EID-CTA using a predefined measurement method. CNR values will be compared between the two CT techniques.
1-4years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Chinese PLA General Hospital

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Xin Lou, Chinese PLA General Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 7, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 7, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 7, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 19, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PCD-CT Carotid Artery

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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