Dose Efficiency in Dual Source High-Pitch Computed Tomography of the Chest

Boris Bodelle^*, Thomas Lehnert, Martin Beeres, Thomas Josef Vogl, Boris Schulz

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.

DOI: 10.4236/act.2014.34008                

Abstract

Objectives: Evaluation of radiation efficiency of dual source high-pitch (DSHP) chest CT in comparison to single source technique with special regards to individual patient anatomy. Methods: 150 consecutive patients who underwent chest CT with automated tube current modulation were evaluated retrospectively and divided into three study groups, each with an equal quantity of 50 patients (DSHP vs. single source 128 slices vs. single source 16 slices). By using a dedicated workstation, volumetric analyses of each of the scanned anatomic area were performed and correlated to the individual dose length product (DLP). The calculated result was defined as dose efficiency. Results: DLP was 203 mGycm (DSHP), vs. 269 mGycm (single source) vs. 273 mGycm (16 slice CT). The total patient volume was lowest in the dual source group with 18956.3 cm³ (vs. 22481.2 cm³ vs. 22133.8 cm³). With regards to the DLP, the calculated dose efficiency of dual source CT was better than the 128 slice CT (p = 0.045) and the 16 slice CT (p < 0.01). Conclusions: DSHP CT has considerably better dose efficiency compared to 16 slice CT. Compared to 128 slice single source technique, the high-pitch mode does not cause any dose penalty when performing chest CT.

Keywords

Computed Tomography, Lung, Radiation Exposure, Imaging, Dual-Source

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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