Revista OMICS de Radiología

Abstracto

Management and Optimisation of the Dose in Computed Tomography via a Dose Tracking Software

Vasileios Chatzoglou, Sofia Kottou, Dimitrios Nikolopoulos*, Michael Molfetas, Ioannis Papailiou and Virginia Tsapaki

Introduction: Computed Tomography (CT) produces high quality diagnostic images at the expense of increased radiation dose compared to routine radiographic examinations. The dose from the CT examinations can be reduced by controlling certain scanning parameters and optimising the employed practices. In this study a patient dosetracking software was utilised for the management of the CT doses and the optimisation of the scanning protocols. Material and Methods: DoseWatch from GE® Healthcare is a software for monitoring the radiation dose of patients undergoing CT examinations. It tracks simultaneously relevant technical and patient data. DoseWatch was used for the assessment of the scanning protocols of a Philips Brilliance 64 CT scanner during a period of three months in a large public general hospital of Athens in Greece. The dose dataset was compared with the CT Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) available from the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC). Results and Conclusion: DoseWatch was deemed as a quick and effective tool for tracking and optimising the doses in CT examinations. It can be utilised as well for the improvement of the related scanning protocols. Through this suitable software, patients were identified with CT doses higher than the corresponding CT DRLs. The scanning parameters of the investigated cases were modified accordingly to achieve reduction of the corresponding CT doses.