Comparison of selected photon shield and organ-based tube current modulation for radiation dose reduction in head computed tomography: A phantom study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Yuan, Zilong^{a; 1} | Liu, Tao^{a; 1} | Zhang, Biao^a | Wu, Jiaxing^c | He, Yaoyao^a | Chen, Tiao^a | Zhang, Zhaoxi^a | Li, Cuiling^{b; *} | Liu, Yulin^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Radiology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China | [b] Department of Radiological Health, Wuhan Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Disease, Wuhan, China | [c] Siemens Healthineers, Shanghai, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Yulin Liu, Ph.D, Department of Radiology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 116 Zhuodaoquan South Load, Hongshan District, Wuhan. Hubei, 430079, China. Tel.: +86 027 87677965; E-mail: liuyl26@163.com and Cuiling Li, MD, Department of Radiological Health, Wuhan Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Disease, 18 Jianghan North Load, Wuhan, Hubei, 430015, China. Tel.: +1 86 027 85785897; E-mail: 8430051@qq.com.

Note: [1] ZY and TL contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study is to investigate the radiation dose and image quality of head CT using SPS and OBTCM techniques. METHODS:Three anthropomorphic head phantoms (1-yr-old, 5-yr-old, and adult) were used. Images were acquired using four modes (Default protocol, OBTCM, SPS, and SPS+OBTCM). Absorbed dose to the lens, anterior brain (brain_A), and posterior brain (brain_P) was measured and compared. Image noise and CNR were assessed in the selected regions of interest (ROIs). RESULTS:Compared with that in the Default protocol, the absorbed dose to the lens reduced by up to 28.33%,71.38%, and 71.12% in OBTCM, SPS, and SPS+OBTCM, respectively. The noise level in OBTCM slightly (≤1.45HU) increased than that in Default protocol, and the SPS or SPS+OBTCM mode resulted in a quantitatively small increase (≤2.58HU) in three phantoms. There was no significant difference in CNR of different phantoms under varies scanning modes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:During head CT examinations, the SPS mode can reduce the radiation dose while maintaining image quality. SPS+OBTCM couldn’t further effectively reduce the absorbed dose to the lens for 1-yr and 5-yr-old phantoms. Thus, SPS mode in pediatric and SPS+OBTCM mode in adult are better than other modes, and should be used in clinical practice.

Keywords: Selected photon shield, organ-based tube current modulation, computed tomography (ct), lens

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230018

Journal: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 745-756, 2023