title: Determination of the optimal dose reduction level via iterative reconstruction using 640-slice volume chest CT in a pig model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the optimal dose reduction level of iterative reconstruction technique for paediatric chest CT in pig models.
  
  
  METHODS
  27 infant pigs underwent 640-slice volume chest CT with 80kVp and different mAs. Automatic exposure control technique was used, and the index of noise was set to SD10 (Group A, routine dose), SD12.5, SD15, SD17.5, SD20 (Groups from B to E) to reduce dose respectively. Group A was reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), and Groups from B to E were reconstructed using iterative reconstruction (IR). Objective and subjective image quality (IQ) among groups were compared to determine an optimal radiation reduction level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in Group D had no significant statistical difference from that in Group A (P = 1.0). The scores of subjective IQ in Group A were not significantly different from those in Group D (P>0.05). There were no obvious statistical differences in the objective and subjective index values among the subgroups (small, medium and large subgroups) of Group D. The effective dose (ED) of Group D was 58.9% lower than that of Group A (0.20±0.05mSv vs 0.48±0.10mSv, p <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In infant pig chest CT, using iterative reconstruction can provide diagnostic image quality; furthermore, it can reduce the dosage by 58.9%.
authors.affiliation: Department of cardiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 36 Sanhao Street Shenyang, Liaoning Province, PR China 110004.
authors.forename: Xingli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Dalian Municipal Women and Children's Medical Central, 1 Guihua Street, Dalian, Liaoning Province, PR China 116033.
authors.forename: Jingshi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 36 Sanhao Street Shenyang, Liaoning Province, PR China 110004.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 36 Sanhao Street Shenyang, Liaoning Province, PR China 110004.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 36 Sanhao Street Shenyang, Liaoning Province, PR China 110004.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 36 Sanhao Street Shenyang, Liaoning Province, PR China 110004.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 36 Sanhao Street Shenyang, Liaoning Province, PR China 110004.
authors.forename: Qiyong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D023421:Models, Animal; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013552:Swine