Effects of scout radiographic imaging conditions on tube current modulation in chest computed tomography

For the optimisation of radiation dose in computed tomography (CT), dose reduction is attempted
while preserving diagnostic performance. To reduce the overall radiation dose related to CT, the
dose from scout radiography may be reduced by decreasing the tube voltage and tube current. We
evaluated the effects of scout imaging conditions on CT radiation dose. An anthropomorphic chest
phantom was imaged on two CT scanners (scanners A and B) from different vendors, manipulating the
scout imaging conditions in terms of imaging direction, tube voltage and tube current, and assessed
the tube current modulation in subsequent CT and pixel values in scout radiographs. The direction of
the scout radiography influenced the shape of the tube current modulation curve and total radiation
dose in subsequent CT. When compared with the use of the lateral projection, use of the
posteroanterior or anteroposterior projection alone increased the radiation dose substantially on
scanner A, but did not ...

Source: Journal of Radiological Protection - February 11, 2020 Category: Physics Authors: Yusuke Inoue and Hiroyasu Itoh Source Type: research