title: Strategies for reducing radiation exposure from multidetector computed tomography in the acute care setting.
abstract: Many tools and strategies exist to enable reduction of radiation exposure from computed tomography (CT). The common CT metrics of x-ray output, the volume CT dose index and the dose-length product, are explained and serve as the basis for monitoring radiation exposure from CT. Many strategies to dose-optimize CT protocols are explored that, in combination with available hardware and software tools, allow robust diagnostic quality CT to be performed with a radiation exposure appropriate for the clinical scenario and the size of the patient. Specific emergency department example protocols are used to demonstrate these techniques.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. asodickson@partners.org
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sodickson
mesh_terms: D055424:Cardiac-Gated Imaging Techniques; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software