Evaluation of organ dose, effective dose and cancer risk of head and neck dual-energy computed tomography

Abstract

PurposeDual-energy computed tomography (DECT) is an emerging imaging modality with the aim of evaluating oncologic or vascular imaging diseases. Despite the benefits, the growing trend of DECT scans in recent decades is a major concerns regarding the induction of diseases such as cancer due to the use of a second radiation source. So, this survey was conducted to evaluate radiation dose and estimated the cancer risk of head and neck DECT examination.Methods: This investigation was performed on 122 patients who underwent head and neck DECT examination. The organ doses and effective doses for each patient were estimated using the ImpactDose program. The cancer risk values were calculated by using models developed in the BEIR VII (Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation VII)-Phase 2 report. ResultsThe highest organ dose in both females and males were observed in thyroid. The overall mean effective dose in the females was higher than that in the males (1.78 vs. 1.36 mSv). The mean REID values were 55.07 per million males and 120.66 per million females. REID values decreased with the increasing age of patients in both genders and were much higher for younger females. ConclusionThe findings of this study will help referring physicians to justify requesting a DECT examination by considering its benefits for the diagnosis on the one hand and awareness of cancer risk on the other.