Preliminary application of the Radimetrics system in CT radiation dose evaluation

Objective To analyze large data on CT radiation dose through the Radimetrics system by evaluating the CT scan program to meet radiation protection requirements. Methods The radiation dose report of target tissue and sensitive tissue of 3980 patients was generated by immediately transferring the data from Toshiba Aquilion 64 rows CT and Siemens Emotion 16 rows CT to the Radimetrics workstation. The radiation dose distribution of CT in the head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis were analyzed, and then t-test was used for data analysis using SPSS17.0 software. Results (1) The radiation doses of head, chest, abdominal, and pelvic CT were 2.31, 4.82, 3.65, and 4.48 mSv, respectively, and their enhanced CT scan results were 4.58, 9.58, 10.51, and 8.71 mSv, respectively; (2) The majority of patients received the radiation doses in the range of ICRP103, and only 80 patients received beyond the range of ICRP103; (3) As the highly sensitive tissue approached the scanning area, the radiation dose increased; (4) The radiation doses of the arterial and venous phases were lower than that of plain scan; (5) The radiation dose of 64 rows CT was lower than that of 16 rows CT. Conclusion The Radimetrics system can effectively evaluate the radiation protection rationality of the CT scan program through analyzing CT radiation dose. Key words: Radiation dose; Salivary glands; Thyroid; Testis; Ovary; Red bone marrow; Radimetrics workstation; Tomography, X-ray computed