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Updated: Jun 1, 2026
X-ray Dose Reduction through Adaptive Exposure in Fluoroscopic Imaging
Published on: September 11, 2011
An education and training programme for radiological institutes: impact on the reduction of the CT radiation dose
Sebastian T Schindera1, Reto Treier, Gabriel von Allmen
1University Institute of Diagnostic, Interventional and Pediatric Radiology, University Hospital Berne, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland. sschindera@aol.com
Objectives:
To establish an education and training programme for the reduction of CT radiation doses and to assess this programme's efficacy.
Methods:
Ten radiological institutes were counselled. The optimisation programme included a small group workshop and a lecture on radiation dose reduction strategies. The radiation dose used for five CT protocols (paranasal sinuses, brain, chest, pulmonary angiography and abdomen) was assessed using the dose-length product (DLP) before and after the optimisation programme. The mean DLP values were compared with national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs).
Results:
The average reduction of the DLP after optimisation was 37% for the sinuses (180 vs. 113 mGycm, P < 0.001), 9% for the brain (982 vs. 896 mGycm, P < 0.05), 24% for the chest (425 vs. 322 mGycm, P < 0.05) and 42% for the pulmonary arteries (352 vs. 203 mGycm, P < 0.001). No significant change in DLP was found for abdominal CT. The post-optimisation DLP values of the sinuses, brain, chest, pulmonary arteries and abdomen were 68%, 10%, 20%, 55% and 15% below the DRL, respectively.
Conclusions:
The education and training programme for radiological institutes is effective in achieving a substantial reduction in CT radiation dose.
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