Radiation Dose Reduction in Paranasal Sinus CT: With Feasibility of Iterative Reconstruction Technique

To (1) compare the radiation dose of low-dose computed tomography (CT) to that of standard-dose CT, (2) determine the minimum optimal radiation dose for use in patients who need endoscopic sinus surgery, and (3) assess the reliability of iterative model reconstruction.

Prospective single-institution study.

Tertiary care center.

We recruited 48 adults with medically refractory sinusitis. Each patient underwent 4 scans with different CT parameters: 120 kV and 100 mAs (standard dose), 100 kV and 40 mAs (low dose), 100 kV and 20 mAs (very low dose), and 100 kV and 10 mAs (ultra-low dose). All CT scans were reconstructed via filtered back-projection, and ultra-low dose scans were additionally reconstructed through iterative model reconstruction. Radiation dose, image quality, and diagnostic performance were compared among the scans.

Radiation doses decreased to 6% (ultra-low dose), 12% (very low dose), and 22% (low dose) of the standard-dose CT. The image quality of low-dose CT was similar to that of standard-dose CT. Ultra-low-dose CT with iterative model reconstruction was inferior to standard-dose CT for identifying anatomic structures, except for the optic nerve. All CT scans had 100% agreement for diagnosing rhinosinusitis.

With low-dose CT, the radiation dose can be decreased to 22% of that of standard-dose CT without affecting the image quality. Low-dose CT can be considered the minimum optimal radiation for patients who need surgery. Iterative model reconstruction is not useful for assessing the anatomic details of the paranasal sinus on CT.