Direct measurement of radiation exposure dose to individual organs during diagnostic computed tomography examination

Abstract

Ionizing radiation from Computed tomography (CT) examinations and the associated health risks are growing concerns. The purpose of this study was to directly measure individual organ doses during routine clinical CT scanning protocols and to evaluate how these measurements vary with scanning conditions. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeters were surgically implanted into individual organs of fresh non-embalmed whole-body cadavers. Whole-body, head, chest, and abdomen CT scans were taken of 6 cadavers by simulating common clinical methods. The dosimeters were extracted and the radiation exposure doses for each organ were calculated. Average values were used for analysis. Measured individual organ doses for whole-body routine CT protocol were less than 20 mGy for all organs. The measured doses of surface/shallow organs were higher than those of deep organs under the same irradiation conditions. At the same tube voltage and tube current, all internal organ doses were significantly higher for whole-body scans compared with abdominal scans. This study could provide valuable information on individual organ doses and their trends under various scanning conditions. These data could be referenced and used when considering CT examination in daily clinical situations.

Radiation Dose Measurement during CT Abdomen Examination of Adult Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Computed tomography (CT) has become a routine imaging modality for many clinical applications due to its wide availability, minimally invasiveness, short scan time, excellent anatomical resolution, and high diagnostic value. 1,2 The radiation dose to patients from CT examinations is the highest contributor to diagnostic medical exposure, which is a growing public concern. The CT contributes about 43% of the total global collective dose to diagnostic medical imaging.…”