The mean effective dose for MSCT coronary angiography was significantly higher than that for conventional angiography. As MSCT cardiac scanners become increasingly available, operators must be aware of the radiation dose and the factors that affect it.
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the leading direct cause of maternal mortality in the UK. Accurate diagnosis is important but, even though CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the recommended imaging modality for PE in the general population, there is limited guidance for pregnant patients. Knowledge of the radiation doses to both the mother and the fetus is therefore important in the justification of CTPA in this situation. Dose measurements were made on three helical CT scanners, with an anthropomorphic phantom representing the chest and abdomen in late gestation. Estimated fetal doses from CT scans of the maternal chest were in the range of 60-230 microGy. Fetal dose reduction strategies (mA modulation, shielding with a lead coat, and a 5 cm shorter scan length) were investigated. These reduced the fetal dose by 10%, 35% and 56%, respectively. Fetal doses from a scan projection radiograph (SPR) of the maternal chest were insignificant when compared with the dose from a CT scan. However, if the SPR was not stopped before the "fetus" was directly irradiated, the dose measured on one scanner was 20 microGy.
The authors have demonstrated the ability to create physically realistic HMPAO SPECT simulations using a novel head-shaped 3D printed subresolution sandwich method phantom. The phantom can be used to validate all neurological SPECT imaging applications. A simple modification of the phantom design to use thinner slabs would make it suitable for use in PET.
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