Radiation dose reduction in thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT using tube current modulation: a phantom study

This phantom study was designed to compare the radiation dose in thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT scans with and without use of tube current modulation (TCM). Effective dose (ED) and size-specific dose estimation (SSDE) were calculated with the absorbed doses measured at selective radiosensitive organs using a thermoluminescence dosimeter-100 (TLD-100). When compared to protocols without TCM, the ED and SSDE were reduced significantly with use of TCM for both the thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT. With use of TCM, the ED was 6.50±0.29 mSv for thoracic and 6.01±0.20 mSv for the abdomen-pelvic CT protocols. However without use of TCM, the ED was 20.07±0.24 mSv and 17.30±0.41 mSv for the thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT protocols, respectively. The corresponding SSDE was 10.18±0.48 mGy and 11.96±0.27 mGy for the thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT protocols with TCM, and 31.56±0.43 mGy and 33.23±0.05 mGy for thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT protocols without TCM, respectively. The highest absorbed dose was measured at the breast with 8.58±0.12 mGy in the TCM protocols and 51.52±14.72 mGy in the protocols without TCM during thoracic CT. In the abdomen-pelvic CT, the absorbed dose was highest at the skin with 9.30±1.28 mGy and 29.99±2.23 mGy in protocols with and without use of TCM, respectively. In conclusion, the TCM technique results in significant dose reduction; thus it is to be highly recommended in routine thoracic and abdomen-pelvic CT. PACS numbers: 87.57.Q-, 87.57.qp, 87.53.Bn.