An education and training programme for radiological institutes: impact on the reduction of the CT radiation dose.

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.

Effect of beam hardening on arterial enhancement in thoracoabdominal CT angiography with increasing patient size: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Purpose: To assess the effect of beam hardening on arterial enhancement in thoracoabdominal computed tomographic (CT) angiography in various body sizes in a phantom and in a clinical study.

Materials And Methods: An abdominal aortic phantom was placed in three cylindrical water containers simulating a small, an intermediate, and a large patient (diameters of 22, 30, and 40 cm, respectively). CT scanning was performed at 80, 100, and 120 kVp, and aortic attenuation was assessed.

Thoracoabdominal-aortoiliac multidetector-row CT angiography at 80 and 100 kVp: assessment of image quality and radiation dose.

Objective: To compare image quality and radiation dose of thoracoabdominal computed tomography (CT) angiography at 80 and 100 kVp and to assess the feasibility of reducing contrast medium volume from 60 to 45 mL at 80 kVp.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study had institutional review board approval; informed consent was waived. Seventy-five patients who had undergone thoracoabdominal 64-section multidetector-row CT angiography were divided into 3 groups of 25 patients each.

Endoleak detection with CT angiography in an abdominal aortic aneurysm phantom: effect of tube energy, simulated patient size, and physical properties of endoleaks.

Purpose: To analyze the detection of endoleaks with low-tube-voltage computed tomographic (CT) angiography.

Materials And Methods: A cylindrical plastic phantom mimicking an aortic aneurysm, containing a stent graft and 36 simulated endoleaks of various diameters, densities, and distances from the graft, was placed into three different water containers corresponding to small, intermediate-sized, and large patients. CT was performed at 80, 100, and 120 kVp, and the volume CT dose index (CTDI(vol)) was noted.

Effect of X-ray tube parameters, iodine concentration, and patient size on image quality in pulmonary computed tomography angiography: a chest-phantom-study.

Objectives: The aim of this phantom study was to evaluate the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in pulmonary computed tomography (CT)-angiography for 300 and 400 mg iodine/mL contrast media using variable x-ray tube parameters and patient sizes. We also analyzed the possible strategies of dose reduction in patients with different sizes.

Materials And Methods: The segmental pulmonary arteries were simulated by plastic tubes filled with 1:30 diluted solutions of 300 and 400 mg iodine/mL contrast media in a chest phantom mimicking thick, intermediate, and thin patients.

Virtopsy: postmortem minimally invasive angiography using cross section techniques--implementation and preliminary results.

Postmortem investigation is increasingly supported by Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This led to the idea to implement a noninvasive or minimally invasive autopsy technique. Therefore, a minimally invasive angiography technique becomes necessary, in order to support the vascular cross section diagnostic.

Grading airway stenosis down to the segmental level using virtual bronchoscopy.

Objective: To assess the sensitivity of noninvasive virtual bronchoscopy based on multirow detector CT scanning in detecting and grading central and segmental airway stenosis using flexible bronchoscopic findings as the reference standard.

Materials And Methods: In a blinded controlled trial, multirow detector CT virtual bronchoscopy and flexible bronchoscopy were used to search for and grade airway stenosis in 20 patients. CT scan data were obtained with a multirow detector CT scanner using 4 x 1 mm collimation.