Radiation dose values for various coronary calcium scoring protocols in dual-source CT

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Cardiovascular Imaging

Background:

• Coronary artery disease (CAD) risk assessment often involves calcium scoring.
• Dual-source CT (DSCT) is utilized for calcium scoring, but radiation dose optimization is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess radiation dose and image noise of different calcium scoring protocols using DSCT.
• To compare the efficacy of various prospective and retrospective ECG-gating techniques with varying tube voltages.

Main Methods:

• One hundred patients underwent DSCT for coronary calcium scoring.
• Patients were assigned to five protocols involving retrospective or prospective ECG-gating, 100 kV or 120 kV, and tube current modulation.
• Radiation dose and image noise were measured and compared across protocols.

Main Results:

• Effective radiation doses ranged from 0.6 to 1.3 mSv.
• 100 kV protocols and prospective ECG-gating significantly reduced radiation dose compared to 120 kV and retrospective gating, respectively.
• Image noise was comparable across all protocols and correlated with body weight and BMI.

Conclusions:

• DSCT calcium scoring effective dose can be minimized using prospective triggering and lower tube voltage (100 kV).
• These optimized protocols achieve significant radiation reduction without compromising image noise.
• Protocol selection impacts radiation exposure, highlighting the importance of dose optimization in cardiac CT imaging.