Comparison of doses received from non-contrast enhanced brain CT examinations between two CT scanners

Veronika Žatkuliaková; Martin Števík; Martin Vorčák; Ján Sýkora; Zuzana Trabalková; Gabriel Broocks; Lukas Meyer; Jens Fiehler; Kamil Zeleňák

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37043

Comparison of doses received from non-contrast enhanced brain CT examinations between two CT scanners

Heliyon. 2024 Aug 28;10(17):e37043. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37043. eCollection 2024 Sep 15.

Authors

Veronika Žatkuliaková¹, Martin Števík¹, Martin Vorčák¹, Ján Sýkora¹, Zuzana Trabalková¹, Gabriel Broocks², Lukas Meyer², Jens Fiehler², Kamil Zeleňák¹

Affiliations

¹ Clinic of Radiology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Martin University Hospital, Martin, Slovakia.
² Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Abstract

Objectives: Medical devices based on X-ray imaging, such as computed tomography, are considered notable sources of artificial radiation. The aim of this study was to compare the computed tomography dose volume index, the dose length product, and the effective dose of the brain non-contrast enhanced examination on two CT scanners to determine the current state in terms of radiation doses, compare doses to the reference values, and possibly optimize the examination.

Materials and methods: Data from January 2020 to the second half of 2021 were retrospectively obtained by accessing dose reports from the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Data were collected and analyzed in Microsoft Excel. The effective dose was estimated using the dose-length product parameter and the normalized conversion factor for a given anatomical region. For statistical analysis, a two-sample t-test was used.

Results: The first data set consists of 200 patients (100 and 100 for older and newer CT scanners) regardless of the scan technique; the average CTDI_vol and DLP for the older CT scanner were 57.61 ± 2.89 mGy and 993.28 ± 146.18 mGy cm, and for the newer CT scanner, 43.66 ± 11.15 mGy and 828.14 ± 130.06 mGy cm. The second data set consists of 100 patients (50 for the older CT scanner and 50 for the newer CT scanner) for a sequential scan; the average CTDI_vol and DLP for the older CT scanner were 58.63 ± 3.33 mGy and 949.42 ± 80.87 mGy.cm, and for the newer CT, 57.25 ± 3.4 mGy and 942.13 ± 73.05 mGy cm. The third data set consists of 40 patients (20 and 20 for older and newer CT scanners) for the helical scan - the average CTDI_vol and DLP for the older CT scanner were 54.6 ± 0 mGy and 1252.2 ± 52.11 mGy.cm, and for the newer CT, 37.18 ± 2.52 mGy and 859.66 ± 72.04 mGy cm. The difference between the older and newer CT scanners in terms of dose reduction was approximately 30 % in favor of the newer scanner for noncontrast enhanced brain examinations performed using the helical scan technique.

Conclusion: A non-contrast enhanced brain examination scanned with newer CT equipment was associated with a lower radiation burden on the patient.

Keywords: Brain; Computed tomography; Effective dose; Radiation dose.