Evaluation of a Radiation Dose Reduction Strategy for Pediatric Chest CT

Abstract

Significant radiation dose reduction can be achieved for routine pediatric chest CT by weight-based decreases in kVp in addition to low mAs. Increased noise was considered an acceptable trade-off for decreased dose, and image quality was acceptable.

Carotid CTA: Radiation Exposure and Image Quality with the Use of Attenuation-Based, Automated Kilovolt Selection

“…Although patients scheduled for carotid artery imaging are predominantly in the higher age group and radiation exposure is thought to be less critical, the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) concept should still be followed, and a variety of dose-reduction techniques in CT imaging have become available in recent years. [32][33][34][35] There are abundant data that the low-kilovolt technique can significantly reduce radiation exposure and maintain image quality; however, until now, it is still not often used in clinical routine.…”

Complementary Use of Imaging modalities in Diagnosis of Complex Congenital Heart Disease

“…The risk of cancer associated with radiation exposure needs to be considered, especially in children, who are at greater risk given they are inherently more radiosensitive (18). This may be minimised by adjusting the dose for the child's weight to target the minimum possible radiation exposure, while maintaining diagnostic image quality (19). …”

Congenital Malformations and Developmental Anomalies of the Lung

“…The major limitation is radiation exposure. In the pediatric patient, there should be strict adherence to the as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) principle [25,26]. Exposure factors (kilovoltage and milliamperage) should be titrated against the age and weight of the child.…”