Development of a computational tool for estimating computed tomography dose parameters

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Almohiy, Hussain M.^{a; *} | Hussein, Khalid I.^{a; b} | Alqahtani, Mohammed S.^a | Rawashdeh, Mohammad^c | Elshiekh, Elhussaien^{a; d} | Alshahrani, Madshush M.^e | Saad, Mohammed^{a; f} | Foley, Shane^g | Saade, Charbel^h

Affiliations: [a] Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia | [b] Department of Medical Physics and Instrumentation, National Cancer Institute, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan | [c] Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan | [d] Radiation Safety Institute, Sudan Atomic Energy Commission, Khartoum, Sudan | [e] Department of Radiology, Khamis Mushayt General Hospital, Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia | [f] Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt | [g] Radiography & Diagnostic Imaging, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland | [h] Department of Medical Imaging Sciences, American University of Beirut Medical Centre, Beirut, Lebanon

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Hussain M. Almohiy, Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia. Tel.: +966555211366; Fax: +966172419675; E-mail: Hmohiy@kku.edu.sa.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Computed Tomographic (CT) imaging procedures have been reported as the main source of radiation in diagnostic procedures compared to other modalities. To provide the optimal quality of CT images at the minimum radiation risk to the patient, periodic inspections and calibration tests for CT equipment are required. These tests involve a series of measurements that are time consuming and may require specific skills and highly-trained personnel. OBJECTIVE:This study aims to develop a new computational tool to estimate the dose of CT radiation outputs and assist in the calibration of CT scanners. It may also provide an educational resource by which radiological practitioners can learn the influence of technique factors on both patient radiation dose and the produced image quality. METHODS:The computational tool was developed using MATLAB in order to estimate the CT radiation dose parameters for different technique factors. The CT radiation dose parameters were estimated from the calibrated energy spectrum of the x-ray tube for a CT scanner. RESULTS:The estimated dose parameters and the measured values utilising an Adult CT Head Dose Phantom showed linear correlations for different tube voltages (80 kVp, 100 kVp, 120 kVp, and 140 kVp), with R2 nearly equal to 1 (0.99). The maximum differences between the estimated and measured CTDIvol were under 5 %. For 80 kVp and low tube currents (50 mA, 100 mA), the maximum differences were under 10%. CONCLUSIONS:The prototyped computational model provides a tool for the simulation of a machine-specific spectrum and CT dose parameters using a single dose measurement.

Keywords: Computed tomography (CT), x-ray energy spectrum, volume CT dose index (CTDI), dose length product (DLP), MATLAB

DOI: 10.3233/XST-200731

Journal: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 1025-1035, 2020