The relationship of body mass index and abdominal fat on the radiation dose received during routine computed tomographic imaging of the abdomen and pelvis.

Purpose: To determine the relationship of increasing body mass index (BMI) and abdominal fat on the effective dose acquired from computed tomography (CT) abdomen and pelvis scans.

Methods: Over 6 months, dose-length product and total milliamp-seconds (mAs) from routine CT abdomen and pelvis scans of 100 patients were recorded. The scans were performed on a 64-slice CT scanner by using an automatic exposure control system.