Routine chest and abdominal high-pitch CT: an alternative low dose protocol with preserved image quality.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the radiation dose and image quality of the high-pitch dual source computer tomography (DSCT) for routine chest and abdominal scans.


METHODS
130 consecutive patients (62 female, 68 male, median age 55 years) were included. All patients underwent 128-slice high-pitch DSCT (chest n=99; abdomen n=84) at a pitch of 3.2. Two observers independently rated image quality using a 4-point score (1: excellent to 4: non-diagnostic). Image noise was measured and operational radiation dose quantities were recorded. An additional group of 132 patients (chest, n=80; abdomen n=52) scanned with standard-pitch CT matched for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) served as control group.


RESULTS
Interobserver agreement for image quality rating was good (k=0.74). Subjective image quality of high-pitch CT was diagnostic in all patients (median score chest; 2, median score abdomen: 2). Image noise of high-pitch CT was comparable to standard-pitch for the chest (p=0.32) but increased in the abdomen (p<0.0001). For high-pitch CT radiation dose was 4.4±0.9 mSv (chest) and 6.5±1.2 mSv (abdomen). These values were significantly lower compared to standard-pitch CT (chest: 5.5±1.2 mSv; abdomen: 11.3±3.8 mSv).


CONCLUSIONS
Based on the technical background high-pitch dual source CT may serve as an alternative scan mode for low radiation dose routine chest and abdominal CT.
Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, Zürich, CH-8091, Switzerland. nadja.amacker@usz.ch
Nadja A
NA
Amacker
Caecilia
C
Mader
Hatem
H
Alkadhi
Sebastian
S
Leschka
Thomas
T
Frauenfelder
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal / Q000379:methods*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*