Abhimanyu Pradhan
Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India
Title: Diagnostic reference level: A phantom study to investigate the fisibility of dose reduction stratigies in Computed Tomography Angiography
Biography
Biography: Abhimanyu Pradhan
Abstract
Background & Aim: Diagnostic reference level (DRL) is a tool which mainly focuses on dose optimization, keeping the adequate image quality for diagnostic interpretation intact. The concept of DRL, initially suggested by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) publication 73, is a process to identify the situation where the radiation dose to the patient is high and the need of optimization. DRL on the other hand does not recommended an ideal dose for a specific procedure, but it’s a dose level at which an examination should be initiated. Since computed tomography (CT) is a most commonly used modality to investigate the cross sectional anatomy of the patient. The advancement in technology, reduced scan time significantly increasing the demand of contrast enhanced for differential diagnosis of the diseases.
Method: For the purpose of optimizing the radiation dose in CT Angiography examination a set of dose optimization technique was initiation which includes the strategies to reduce dose incurred to the patient. While combining different tube voltage (kVp) and tube current with time (mAs), three different low dose protocols was developed and tested the feasibility of the strategies in phantom. A head phantom measuring 16mm and body phantom measuring 32mm was used in this study with pencil ionization chamber to calculate the radiation dose.
Result and Conclusion: The result of the dose reduction strategies with various combinations of kVp and mAs showed a very significant reduction in the radiation dose, hence concluding that the use of the purposed strategies is feasible and can be initiated in clinical research.