title: Application of 80-kVp tube voltage, low-concentration contrast agent and iterative reconstruction in coronary CT angiography: evaluation of image quality and radiation dose.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate image quality and radiation dosage in coronary CT angiography using 80-kVp tube voltage combined with low-concentration contrast media (CM) and iterative reconstruction (IR) for coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and employing dual-source CT without heart-rate control.
  
  
  METHODS
  154 patients were randomly assigned to Group A (Control Group, 120-kVp tube voltage, high-concentration CM and filtered back projection reconstruction) and Group B (Low-Dose Group, 80 kVp, low-concentration CM and iterative construction). Two experienced radiologists double-blindly evaluated the following parameters: CT attenuation, signal-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-noise ratio (CNR), radiation dose, size-specific dose estimates (SSDE) and total iodine intake. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between SSDE and BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  98.1% vessel segments in Group A and 97.6% in Group B passed diagnostics, indicating no significant differences; the average aorta scores and CT attenuation values showed no significant differences between groups. Similar SNR and CNR results were obtained for the two groups, although values were slightly lower in Group A compared with Group B. The Effective Dose in Group B was 63% lower than that in Group A (P<.001). SSDE results were significantly different between the two groups (P<.001) but did not correlate with BMI. Finally, the total iodine intake in Group B was 22.9% lower than that in Group A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Coronary CTA conducted with a low tube voltage of 80 kVp, a low-concentration CM and IR without heart rate control can achieve images of similar quality to those obtained using standard procedures, significantly reducing the associated radiation dose and iodine intake.
authors: Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Affiliated of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
authors: Qiyong
authors: Q
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Affiliated of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Radiology, The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Affiliated of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
authors: Huihua
authors: H
authors: Kai
authors: Department of Radiology, The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Affiliated of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Radiology, The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Affiliated of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
authors: Xiaoqiang
authors: X
authors: Tang
authors: Department of Radiology, The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Affiliated of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
authors: Xiaoqin
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Radiology, The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Affiliated of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, China.
authors: Changjie
authors: C
authors: Pan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011829:Radiation Dosage
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media