International survey on diagnostic reference levels based on clinical indications in plain radiography.

Purpose: To collect and analyze radiation dose-related data as part of international cooperation; to define diagnostic reference levels (DRL) for 24 X-ray projections in plain radiography (DX) considering anatomical region, clinical task, and procedural technique; and to harmonize the exposure practice across country borders.

Methods: A multicenter study was performed in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland in 2022-23 to provide dose-related data. Healthcare facilities were asked to provide processed data from their dose management systems.

Proposed DRLs for mammography in Switzerland.

The aim of this study is to propose diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) values for mammography in Switzerland. For the data collection, a survey was conducted among a sufficient number of centres, including five University hospitals, several cantonal hospitals, and large private clinics, covering all linguistic regions of Switzerland to be representative of the clinical practice. The data gathered contained the mean glandular dose (MGD), the compressed breast thickness (CBT), the mammography model and the examination parameters for each acquisition.

Interventional Imaging Systems in Radiology, Cardiology, and Urology: Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Electricity Costs.

The energy demand of interventional imaging systems has historically been estimated using manufacturer-provided specifications rather than directly measured. The purpose of this study was to investigate the energy consumption of interventional imaging systems and estimate potential savings in the carbon emissions and electricity costs of such systems through hypothetical operational adjustments. An interventional radiology suite, neurointerventional suite, radiology fluoroscopy unit, two cardiology laboratories, and two urology fluoroscopy units were equipped with power sensors.

Endovascular Treatment and Peri-interventional Management of Ruptured Cerebrovascular Lesions During Pregnancy : Case Series and Case-based Systematic Review.

Purpose: Hemorrhagic stroke, particularly occurring from ruptured cerebrovascular malformations, is responsible for 5-12% of all maternal deaths during pregnancy and the puerperium. Whether endovascular treatment is feasible and safe for both the mother and the fetus, is still a matter of debate. The main objective of this case series and systematic review was to share our multi-institutional experience and to assess the feasibility and safety of endovascular treatment during pregnancy, as well as the corresponding maternal and fetal outcomes based on currently available evidence.

3D-printed iodine-ink CT phantom for radiomics feature extraction - advantages and challenges.

Background: To test and validate novel CT techniques, such as texture analysis in radiomics, repeat measurements are required. Current anthropomorphic phantoms lack fine texture and true anatomic representation. 3D-printing of iodinated ink on paper is a promising phantom manufacturing technique.

Assessing radiomics feature stability with simulated CT acquisitions.

Medical imaging quantitative features had once disputable usefulness in clinical studies. Nowadays, advancements in analysis techniques, for instance through machine learning, have enabled quantitative features to be progressively useful in diagnosis and research. Tissue characterisation is improved via the "radiomics" features, whose extraction can be automated.

Assessment of task-based image quality for abdominal CT protocols linked with national diagnostic reference levels.

Objectives: To assess task-based image quality for two abdominal protocols on various CT scanners. To establish a relationship between diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) and task-based image quality.

Methods: A protocol for the detection of focal liver lesions was used to scan an anthropomorphic abdominal phantom containing 8- and 5-mm low-contrast (20 HU) spheres at five CTDI levels (4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 mGy) on 12 CTs.

The Discriminative Power and Stability of Radiomics Features With Computed Tomography Variations: Task-Based Analysis in an Anthropomorphic 3D-Printed CT Phantom.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the stability of radiomics features against computed tomography (CT) parameter variations and to study their discriminative power concerning tissue classification using a 3D-printed CT phantom based on real patient data.

Materials And Methods: A radiopaque 3D phantom was developed using real patient data and a potassium iodide solution paper-printing technique. Normal liver tissue and 3 lesion types (benign cyst, hemangioma, and metastasis) were manually annotated in the phantom.

Update of national diagnostic reference levels for adult CT in Switzerland and assessment of radiation dose reduction since 2010.

Objectives: To update the national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for adult CT in Switzerland using dose management software and to compare them to the previous Swiss DRLs from 2010.

Methods: CT dose data from 14 radiological institutes with a total of 50 CT scanners were collected with locally installed dose management software between 2014 and 2017. Data were assigned to 15 defined master protocols.

Effects of various generations of iterative CT reconstruction algorithms on low-contrast detectability as a function of the effective abdominal diameter: A quantitative task-based phantom study.

Purpose: To investigate how various generations of iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms impact low-contrast detectability (LCD) in abdominal computed tomography (CT) for different patient effective diameters, using a quantitative task-based approach.

Methods: Investigations were performed using an anthropomorphic abdominal phantom with two optional additional rings to simulate varying patient effective diameters (25, 30, and 35 cm), and containing multiple spherical targets (5, 6, and 8 mm in diameter) with a 20-HU contrast difference. The phantom was scanned using routine abdominal protocols (CTDI, 5.

Characterization of a computed radiography system for external radiotherapy beam dosimetry.

A commercial computed radiography (CR) system was studied as an option for quantitative dosimetry quality assurance of external radiotherapy beams. Following the examination of influencing quantities, practical measurement procedures are discussed. Corrections were derived for image fading, an observed long-term response drift and the image length scale, which was found to be off by up to 2-3%.