Title: Survey of CT radiation dose levels during PET/CT from ACR CT Dose Index Registry
Abstract:1696 Objectives Several societies are proposing diagnostic reference levels to provide common benchmarks for typical radiation dose levels. Despite awareness that CT acquisitions can be performed for ...1696 Objectives Several societies are proposing diagnostic reference levels to provide common benchmarks for typical radiation dose levels. Despite awareness that CT acquisitions can be performed for different reasons during PET/CT exams, there is little to no data on the normative practice in the US for these acquisitions. In this work, the American College of Radiation (ACR) and the SNMMI Dose Optimization task force partnered to summarize CT dosing strategies for PET/CT. Methods CT exams, with keywords associated with whole-body PET/CT exams, were extracted from the ACR CT Dose Index Registry (DIR). The CT Dose Index (CTDIvol), dose length product (DLP), and number of acquisitions were analyzed for all exams. Results In total, 24,785 CT acquisitions from whole body-PET/CT studies from 35 facilities were evaluated from July 2011 to December 2014. For the CT for these exams, the average total CTDIvol was 11.7 mGy (IQR: 4.2-14.5 mGy) and DLP was 672 (IQR: 376-861) mGy*cm. These dose levels would lead to an effective dose of roughly 11.1 mSv (IQR: 6.2-14.2 mSv). Results suggest that most sites perform one CT acquisition per PET/CT exam, while 25% of sites perform 2 or more CT acquisitions per PET/CT. Conclusions The CT acquisition during whole-body PET/CT can be performed for attenuation correction only (0.5-2 mSv), localization (2-6 mSv), or diagnostic purposes (7-20 mSv). These results demonstrate that most of the sites participating in the ACR DIR are using the CT for diagnostic purposes. While this is the largest survey of CT practice for PET/CT in the US, the results likely do not capture the diversity of PET/CT practice in the US. In particular, the results are likely more reflective of CT-focused practices, such as those that engage in the ACR DIR.Read More
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 5
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot