title: Evaluation of dose modulation software through the assessment of body mass index, radiation dose and image noise.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study attempts to establish a quantitative link between a patient's body mass index (BMI), the delivered radiation dose, and the image noise.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CARE Dose4D computed tomography (CT) acquisitions from 206 patients undergoing "eyes-to-thighs" contrast-enhanced positron emission tomography/CT studies were retrospectively examined. Computed tomography dose index volume (CTDIVOL), mAs, and dose-length product were recorded from the dose report card. The image noise was quantified by evaluating the SD of regions of interest placed over the contrast enhanced aorta.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The multivariate regressions f(BMI, mAs) and f(BMI, CTDIVOL) had R values of 0.4840 and 0.4802, respectively. Unpaired t tests demonstrate that statistically significant difference in image noise required more than 12.17 kg/m of separation between the average BMI values for the groups compared.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evaluation of image noise with BMI and CTDIVOL or mAs is a means to evaluate the consistency of dose modulation software. There is considerable variability in the radiation dose generated by the CARE Dose4D software.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. daign002@umn.edu
authors.forename: Cory P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Daignault
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hongfei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Jerry F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Froelich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001822:Body Burden; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D012984:Software; D012986:Software Validation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult