title: Chest-abdomen-pelvis CT for staging in cancer patients: dose effectiveness and image quality using automated attenuation-based tube potential selection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evaluation of automated attenuation-based tube potential selection and its impact on image quality and radiation dose in CT (computed tomography) examinations for cancer staging.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 110 (59 men, 51 women) patients underwent chest-abdomen-pelvis CT examinations; 55 using a fixed tube potential of 120 kV/current of 210 Reference mAs (using CareDose4D), and 55 using automated attenuation-based tube potential selection (CAREkV) also using a current of 210 Reference mAs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diagnostic image quality was obtained from all patients. The median DLP (703.5 mGy · cm, range 390-2203 mGy · cm) was 7.9% lower when using the algorithm compared with the standard 120 kV protocol (median 756 mGy · cm, range 345-2267 mGy · cm). A reduction in potential to 100 kV occurred in 32 cases; therefore, these patients received significantly lower radiation exposure compared with the 120 kV protocol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Automated attenuation-based tube potential selection produces good diagnostic image quality in chest-abdomen-pelvis CT and reduces the patient's overall radiation dose by 7.9% compared to the standard 120 kV protocol.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beeres
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Römer
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bodelle
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gruber-Rouh
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mbalisike
authors.forename: Josef M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kerl
authors.forename: Julian L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wichmann
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Vogl
authors.forename: Ralf W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Bauer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods