Do metallic endoprostheses increase radiation dose associated with automatic tube-current modulation in abdominal-pelvic MDCT? A phantom and patient study.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to assess the effect of orthopedic metallic prostheses on radiation dose associated with MDCT using z-axis automatic tube-current modulation and a fixed tube current in a phantom and patient study.


CONCLUSIONS
Z-modulation is associated with a 34.1% increase in the mean tube current-time product and no change in the extent of streak artifacts in patients with a metallic prosthesis, compared with patients without a prosthesis. However, compared with the fixed-tube-current technique, z-modulation is associated with a 28.9% decrease in the mean tube current-time product.
Rizzo
Stefania M R
SM
Division of Abdominal Imaging and Intervention, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, White 270-E, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Kalra
Mannudeep K
MK
Maher
Michael M
MM
Blake
Michael A
MA
Toth
Thomas L
TL
Saini
Sanjay
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016477:Artifacts; D005260:Female; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals; D008875:Middle Aged; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000295:instrumentation*
D008670:Metals