Abstract
This phantom study was designed to compare the radiation dose in thoracic and abdomen–pelvic CT scans with and without use of tube current modulation (TCM). Effective dose (ED) and size‐specific dose estimation (SSDE) were calculated with the absorbed doses measured at selective radiosensitive organs using a thermoluminescence dosimeter‐100 (TLD‐100). When compared to protocols without TCM, the ED and SSDE were reduced significantly with use of TCM for both the thoracic and abdomen–pelvic CT. With use of TCM, the ED was 6.50±0.29 mSv for thoracic and 6.01±0.20 mSv for the abdomen–pelvic CT protocols. However without use of TCM, the ED was 20.07±0.24 mSv and 17.30±0.41 mSv for the thoracic and abdomen–pelvic CT protocols, respectively. The corresponding SSDE was 10.18±0.48 mGy and 11.96±0.27 mGy for the thoracic and abdomen–pelvic CT protocols with TCM, and 31.56±0.43 mGy and 33.23±0.05 mGy for thoracic and abdomen–pelvic CT protocols without TCM, respectively. The highest absorbed dose was measured at the breast with 8.58±0.12 mGy in the TCM protocols and 51.52±14.72 mGy in the protocols without TCM during thoracic CT. In the abdomen–pelvic CT, the absorbed dose was highest at the skin with 9.30±1.28 mGy and 29.99±2.23 mGy in protocols with and without use of TCM, respectively. In conclusion, the TCM technique results in significant dose reduction; thus it is to be highly recommended in routine thoracic and abdomen–pelvic CT.PACS numbers: 87.57.Q‐, 87.57.qp, 87.53.Bn
Highlights
Computed tomography (CT) has become a routine imaging modality for many clinical applications due to its wide availability, less invasiveness, short scanning time, excellent anatomical resolution, and high diagnostic value.[1]. It is suitable for patients who are contraindicated for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures, such as those with implanted metallic medical devices or pacemakers[2,3] and patients on ventilation with non-MRI compatible oxygen tanks
It has been reported that 70% of the radiation dose received by patients during medical procedures are from CT scans.[8] nearly half of all medical radiation to patients comes from CT, with the cumulative effective dose (ED) from CT imaging reported to be approximately 440,000 person-Sieverts, which translates into an ED of nearly 1.5 mSv per capita.[9] radiation-induced malignancy is estimated to be the dominant cause of cancer mortality from full body CT examinations.[10]. It has been reported that there is a significant correlation between organ doses and repeated CT examinations, which significantly increases cancer risk.[11]
The size-specific dose estimation (SSDE) showed a significant difference between protocols with and without tube current modulation (TCM) for both the thoracic and abdomen–pelvic CT scans (p = 0.001)
Summary
Computed tomography (CT) has become a routine imaging modality for many clinical applications due to its wide availability, less invasiveness, short scanning time, excellent anatomical resolution, and high diagnostic value.[1]. Different dose-reduction strategies have been developed.[12] Of these strategies, tube current modulation (TCM) represents an effective method to reduce the radiation dose the patient receives by reducing X-ray exposure in certain tube positions or projection angles along the patient’s body. It is done entirely by determining the suitable tube current with localizer radiographic projection of the patient
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