CClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07790614CT-IPF ANTHEMUpdated Aug 27, 2026

Photon-counting CT Scan vs Standard HRCT Scan in the Identification of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

An observational study in IPF, ILD and Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), sponsored by Istituto Clinico Humanitas. Recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-27.

Sponsored by Istituto Clinico Humanitas · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
156
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The CT-IPF ANTHEM study is designed to prospectively compare PCDCT to HRCT scan in the identification of specific ILD diagnosis discussed during the multidisciplinary discussion to increase diagnostic confidence and reduce unclassifiable ILD cases.

Read the detailed description

The advent of a new generation of CT systems based on photon-counting detector technology is raising great interest in the medical community, anticipating a major improvement in numerous clinical applications including chest disorders. These expectations are drawn from the technological advantages inherent to these new CT systems, including a higher contrast-to-noise ratio, higher spatial resolution, and lower radiation dose together with the potential of multienergy imaging.

Non-contrast enhanced CT will be acquired in spectral ultra-high-resolution mode on a clinical dual-source photon-counting detector CT (PCDCT) (NAEOTOM Alpha, Siemens Healthineers AG, Forchheim, Germany). All scans will be acquired with automated exposure control.

Recent evidence showed that images obtained with PCDCT allowed a more precise depiction of CT features of ILDs with similar radiation dose. Subjective visualization of specific IPF features, such as reticulation and traction bronchiectasis, using PCDCT has been rated superior to conventional HRCT. Thus, a more precise delineation of fine fibrotic abnormalities could modify the categorization of ILD patterns and improve the diagnostic confidence of IPF and not-IPF diagnosis, reducing the prevalence of unclassifiable ILD.

02

Conditions studied

  • IPF
  • ILD
  • Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)
  • Interstitial Lung Diseases
  • Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
  • Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
  • CT Photon-Counting
  • CT Scan
  • CT
  • Interstitial Lung Disease Due to Systemic Disease (Telomere Biology Disorder)

Keywords

  • IPF
  • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
  • Interstitial lung diseases
  • ILD
  • Photon counting CT
  • CT scan
  • HRCT
  • PCDCT
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Adults patients with a new diagnosis of ILD referred to the outpatient clinic of ILD of Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano - Milano) and with the need of a MDD discussion to reach a diagnosis will be enrolled.

MDD will be leaded by two pulmonologists with 5 years of experience in ILDs. Each MDD session will include at least one additional pulmonologist, two thoracic radiologists, one thoracic surgeon, one thoracic pathologist, one rheumatologist, and at least two fellows in respiratory medicine. MDD meetings will be held every week and lasted approximately 60 minutes.

Patients will be discussed using a standard case report form. Two diagnosis will be collected: the first diagnosis will be collected using the HRCT scan imaging. The second diagnosis will be collected using the PCDCT scan imaging.

Inclusion criteria

  • ≥ 18 years of age
  • Any gender
  • Any race
  • Signed informed consent
  • ILD diagnosis with the need for a multidisciplinary discussion

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with acute exacerbation of ILD
  • Interstitial abnormalities that could be explained by causes different than ILD (e.g.: heart failure; viral)
04

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
156 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • ILD patients undergoing radiological evaluation

    Eligible partecipants will be adults (≥ 18 years of age) with a new diagnosis of ILD referred to the outpatient clinic of ILD of Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano - Milano) and with the need of a MDD discussion to reach a diagnosis.

    Diagnostic Test: Photon counting CT

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testPhoton counting CT

    Non-contrast enhanced CT will be acquired in spectral ultra-high-resolution mode on a clinical dual-source photon-counting detector CT (PCDCT) (NAEOTOM Alpha, Siemens Healthineers AG, Forchheim, Germany). All scans will be acquired with automated exposure control.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Reduction of unclassifiable ILD diagnosis after MDD comparing PCDCT vs standard Chest HRCT scan using McNemar test

    Time frame: 2 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Increase in IPF diagnosis after MDD comparing PCDCT vs standard Chest HRCT scan using McNemar test

    Time frame: 2 years

  2. Interobserver agreement among radiologists using Cohen's kappa

    Time frame: 2 years

06

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Ryerson CJ, Urbania TH, Richeldi L, Mooney JJ, Lee JS, Jones KD, Elicker BM, Koth LL, King TE Jr, Wolters PJ, Collard HR. Prevalence and prognosis of unclassifiable interstitial lung disease. Eur Respir J. 2013 Sep;42(3):750-7. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00131912. Epub 2012 Dec 6. PubMed 23222877 ↗
  • Rajendran K, Koo CW. Photon-counting detector CT: improving interstitial lung disease classification using ultra-high resolution at a fraction of the radiation dose? Eur Radiol. 2023 Aug;33(8):5526-5527. doi: 10.1007/s00330-023-09617-w. Epub 2023 Apr 18. No abstract available. PubMed 37071170 ↗
  • Prayer F, Kienast P, Strassl A, Moser PT, Bernitzky D, Milacek C, Gyongyosi M, Kifjak D, Rohrich S, Beer L, Watzenbock ML, Milos RI, Wassipaul C, Gompelmann D, Herold CJ, Prosch H, Heidinger BH. Detection of Post-COVID-19 Lung Abnormalities: Photon-counting CT versus Same-Day Energy-integrating Detector CT. Radiology. 2023 Apr;307(1):e222087. doi: 10.1148/radiol.222087. Epub 2022 Nov 29. PubMed 36445225 ↗
  • Raghu G, Remy-Jardin M, Richeldi L, Thomson CC, Inoue Y, Johkoh T, Kreuter M, Lynch DA, Maher TM, Martinez FJ, Molina-Molina M, Myers JL, Nicholson AG, Ryerson CJ, Strek ME, Troy LK, Wijsenbeek M, Mammen MJ, Hossain T, Bissell BD, Herman DD, Hon SM, Kheir F, Khor YH, Macrea M, Antoniou KM, Bouros D, Buendia-Roldan I, Caro F, Crestani B, Ho L, Morisset J, Olson AL, Podolanczuk A, Poletti V, Selman M, Ewing T, Jones S, Knight SL, Ghazipura M, Wilson KC. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (an Update) and Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis in Adults: An Official ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT Clinical Practice Guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 May 1;205(9):e18-e47. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202202-0399ST. PubMed 35486072 ↗
  • Lynch DA, Sverzellati N, Travis WD, Brown KK, Colby TV, Galvin JR, Goldin JG, Hansell DM, Inoue Y, Johkoh T, Nicholson AG, Knight SL, Raoof S, Richeldi L, Ryerson CJ, Ryu JH, Wells AU. Diagnostic criteria for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a Fleischner Society White Paper. Lancet Respir Med. 2018 Feb;6(2):138-153. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(17)30433-2. Epub 2017 Nov 15. PubMed 29154106 ↗
  • Hambly N, Farooqi MM, Dvorkin-Gheva A, Donohoe K, Garlick K, Scallan C, Chong SG, MacIsaac S, Assayag D, Johannson KA, Fell CD, Marcoux V, Manganas H, Morisset J, Comes A, Fisher JH, Shapera S, Gershon AS, To T, Wong AW, Sadatsafavi M, Wilcox PG, Halayko AJ, Khalil N, Cox G, Richeldi L, Ryerson CJ, Kolb M. Prevalence and characteristics of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease in a prospective registry. Eur Respir J. 2022 Oct 6;60(4):2102571. doi: 10.1183/13993003.02571-2021. Print 2022 Oct. PubMed 35273032 ↗
  • Guler SA, Ryerson CJ. Unclassifiable interstitial lung disease: from phenotyping to possible treatments. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2018 Sep;24(5):461-468. doi: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000000509. PubMed 30004990 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07790614
Lead sponsor
Istituto Clinico Humanitas
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 27, 2026
Start date
Mar 25, 2025
Primary completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 27, 2026

Study contacts

Francesco Amati, MD
Contact
franesco.amati@hunimed.eu
+393282592750
Lisa Usuelli, MD
Contact
lisa.usuelli@humanitas.it
+393400095239
Francesco Amati, MD
principal investigator · Humanitas Research Hospital IRCCS, Rozzano-Milan

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion