Optimization of CT parameters to reduce radiation dose in SPECT/CT bone scans while preserving diagnostic quality

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Nuclear Medicine

Background:

• Minimizing radiation dose is critical in hybrid imaging like SPECT/CT.
• Maintaining diagnostic accuracy alongside reduced exposure is essential.
• Optimizing CT parameters is key for dose reduction without quality loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reduced-dose CT protocol for bone SPECT/CT.
• To lower radiation exposure by optimizing CT acquisition parameters.
• To ensure no compromise in image quality with the new protocol.

Main Methods:

• A phantom study evaluated CT current and slice thickness for optimal quality and dose.
• A clinical trial compared a 40mA optimized protocol against a standard 60mA protocol.
• Quantitative metrics (CTDIvol, SNR) and qualitative assessments were used.

Main Results:

• The optimized 40mA protocol reduced radiation dose (median CTDIvol: 3.04 vs. 4.08 mGy).
• No statistically significant differences in SPECT image quality or diagnostic metrics were observed.
• Median Likert scores for image quality were 3 in both the optimized and standard groups.

Conclusions:

• The proposed 40mA CT protocol effectively reduces radiation dose in bone SPECT/CT.
• Diagnostic confidence is preserved with the reduced-dose protocol.
• The optimized protocol is suitable for clinical implementation.