Ultra-low-dose emergency chest computed tomography protocols in three vendors: A technical note

BackgroundIn suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), chest CT is superior to the routinely obtained radiographs (CXR), but administers higher radiation doses. However, ultra-low-dose CT (ULDCT) has shown promising results.PurposeTo compare radiation dose and image quality using standard and ULDCT protocols designed for a multicenter study encompassing three CT scanner models from GE, Canon, and Siemens.Material and methodsPatients with suspected CAP were referred for non-contrast standard dose chest CT (NCCT) and ULDCT. Effective radiation dose and Contrast-to-Noise Ratio (CNR) was calculated.ResultsMean effective doses were GE (n = 10) 6.93 mSv in NCCT and 0.27 mSv in ULDCT; Canon (n = 9) 3.48 in mSv NCCT and 1.11 mSv in ULDCT; Siemens (n = 10) 2.85 mSv in NCCT and 0.45 mSv in ULDCT. CNR was reduced by 29-39% in ULDCT.ConclusionThe proposed CT protocols yielded dose reductions of 96%, 68%, and 84% using a GE, Canon, and Siemens scanner, respectively.

Automated summary

This study compared the radiation dose and image quality of standard and ultra-low-dose CT protocols for GE, Canon, and Siemens scanners. The results showed dose reductions of 96%, 68%, and 84% in NCCT and ULDCT, respectively. ULDCT achieved the lowest radiation dose, but slightly compromised image quality compared to standard dose.