OPTIMIZATION OF LUNG CT PROTOCOL FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION OF COVID-19 LUNG DISEASE

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Pulmonology

Background:

• COVID-19-induced lung disease necessitates accurate imaging for diagnosis.
• Lung CT scans are crucial for evaluating COVID-19 related pulmonary complications.
• Variations in CT protocols may impact diagnostic efficacy and patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare lung CT scan protocols in Iranian imaging centers.
• To assess radiation dose and image quality for COVID-19 diagnosis.
• To identify optimal CT parameters for balancing dose and diagnostic performance.

Main Methods:

• Data collection on various lung CT scan protocols.
• Subjective and objective assessment of image quality (noise, SNR, CNR).
• Measurement of effective radiation dose for each protocol.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in effective dose and image quality were observed across protocols.
• Lowest effective dose (1.31 ± 0.53 mSv) with AEC (20 mAs); highest (6.15 ± 0.57 mSv) with fixed 100 mAs.
• Tube current modulation (70 mAs) yielded best image quality; AEC with 20 mAs yielded lowest image quality.

Conclusions:

• Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) is recommended for optimizing CT scan parameters.
• A tube current range of 20-50 mAs can provide acceptable diagnostic image quality and radiation dose for COVID-19 lung disease.
• Protocol optimization is essential for efficient and safe lung CT imaging in COVID-19 evaluations.