Radiologists in Germany used dual-energy CT to diagnose osteomyelitis in a famous dinosaur
(A) Conventional CT images show a lateral view of the tooth-bearing part of the left dentary. The arrow indicates an abnormal growth that sticks out from the surface of the tissue. (B) The DECT-based calcium material map shows a homogeneous mineral distribution, while (C) the fluorine material map shows significant mineral accumulation in the center of the abnormal growth and adjacent tooth roots (arrowhead). (Image credit: RSNA and Charlie Hamm, M.D.)
Dual-energy CT (DECT) was recently used by radiologists to diagnose a 63 million year-old Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur, according to a recent abstract at the Radiological Society of North America. Dr. Charlie Hamm, a radiologist at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, and his team used DECT to scan the dinosaur’s mandible, measuring 31.3 inches (79.5 centimeters) long and had a maximum thickness of 3.2 inches (8.1 cm).
Check out the abstract and a LiveScience article on the research
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Photograph of the fossilized T. rex named Tristian Otto, diagnosed with mandibular osteomyelitis. (Image credit: RSNA and Charlie Hamm, M.D.)