Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographs

Due to the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020, there was a significant increase in imaging exams to evaluate lung problems, these being the organs most affected by the disease. Given this demand, it is essential to understand how changes in the basic parame...

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Main Authors: Warley Ferreira Felix, Adriana de Souza Medeiros Batista, Arno Heeren de Oliveira, Marcos Eugênio Silva Abrantes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Brazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR) 2025-07-01
Series:Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences
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Online Access:https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/2859
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author Warley Ferreira Felix
Adriana de Souza Medeiros Batista
Arno Heeren de Oliveira
Marcos Eugênio Silva Abrantes
author_facet Warley Ferreira Felix
Adriana de Souza Medeiros Batista
Arno Heeren de Oliveira
Marcos Eugênio Silva Abrantes
author_sort Warley Ferreira Felix
collection DOAJ
description Due to the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020, there was a significant increase in imaging exams to evaluate lung problems, these being the organs most affected by the disease. Given this demand, it is essential to understand how changes in the basic parameters of tomography exam protocols influence the doses of ionizing radiation received by patients. For this study, two test objects were used, one filled with water and the other with water containing areas of different densities. The study was carried out with a scan length of 70 mm each, to check variations in Hounsfield Units (HU) between exam protocols through statistical analyzes using the SPSS 21 software. For this purpose, scans were carried out on chest protocols routine on two computed tomography scanners from the same manufacturer, one with 4 rows and the other with 64, but with different tomographic image acquisition parameters. The scanning parameters used in the 64 rows tomograph were voltage of 120 kVp, modulated electric current, X-ray tube rotation time of 0.5 second, slice thickness of 2.0 mm, intervals between slices of 1.0 mm and spiral pitch of 0.828 and in the tomograph 4 rows, voltage 120 kVp, modulated electric current, X-ray tube rotation time of 0.75 seconds, slice thickness of 4.0 mm, interval between slices of 2.0 mm, spiral pitch of 1.0. The comparative results of the doses in the CT scanners showed that, in the 4 rows CT scanner, the total milliampere seconds (mAs) was 15.43% and the scanning time was 52.33% longer compared to the 64 rows CT scanner. However, the volume-weighted computed tomography dose index value (CTDIVOL), the dose-length product (DLP) and the effective dose (E) were, respectively, 34.74%, 49.46% and 50.46% lower in the 4 rows tomography scanner compared to the 64 rows tomography scanner, which leads us to identify which parameters of the tomographic examination contribute to this 50% reduction in the effective dose between the tomography scanners. The identification of these parameters in protocols will reference the development of protocols with low doses of ionizing radiation, which will allow the optimization of exposure of patients who require evolutionary monitoring of pathologies through tomographic images.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Brazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR)
record_format Article
series Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences
spelling doaj-art-c500a690187e4cc2b1227e8b6039d09a2025-08-20T03:28:18ZengBrazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR)Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences2319-06122025-07-01132A (Suppl.)10.15392/2319-0612.2025.28592484Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographsWarley Ferreira Felix0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5949-6299Adriana de Souza Medeiros Batista1Arno Heeren de Oliveira2Marcos Eugênio Silva Abrantes3Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear -Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP: 31.270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, BrasilDepartamento de Engenharia Nuclear -Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP: 31.270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, BrasilDepartamento de Engenharia Nuclear - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CEP: 31.270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, BrasilPontíficia Universiade CatólicaDue to the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020, there was a significant increase in imaging exams to evaluate lung problems, these being the organs most affected by the disease. Given this demand, it is essential to understand how changes in the basic parameters of tomography exam protocols influence the doses of ionizing radiation received by patients. For this study, two test objects were used, one filled with water and the other with water containing areas of different densities. The study was carried out with a scan length of 70 mm each, to check variations in Hounsfield Units (HU) between exam protocols through statistical analyzes using the SPSS 21 software. For this purpose, scans were carried out on chest protocols routine on two computed tomography scanners from the same manufacturer, one with 4 rows and the other with 64, but with different tomographic image acquisition parameters. The scanning parameters used in the 64 rows tomograph were voltage of 120 kVp, modulated electric current, X-ray tube rotation time of 0.5 second, slice thickness of 2.0 mm, intervals between slices of 1.0 mm and spiral pitch of 0.828 and in the tomograph 4 rows, voltage 120 kVp, modulated electric current, X-ray tube rotation time of 0.75 seconds, slice thickness of 4.0 mm, interval between slices of 2.0 mm, spiral pitch of 1.0. The comparative results of the doses in the CT scanners showed that, in the 4 rows CT scanner, the total milliampere seconds (mAs) was 15.43% and the scanning time was 52.33% longer compared to the 64 rows CT scanner. However, the volume-weighted computed tomography dose index value (CTDIVOL), the dose-length product (DLP) and the effective dose (E) were, respectively, 34.74%, 49.46% and 50.46% lower in the 4 rows tomography scanner compared to the 64 rows tomography scanner, which leads us to identify which parameters of the tomographic examination contribute to this 50% reduction in the effective dose between the tomography scanners. The identification of these parameters in protocols will reference the development of protocols with low doses of ionizing radiation, which will allow the optimization of exposure of patients who require evolutionary monitoring of pathologies through tomographic images. https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/2859Covid-19Low Dose of Ionizing RadiationChest Computed TomographyDiagnostic Reference Levels
spellingShingle Warley Ferreira Felix
Adriana de Souza Medeiros Batista
Arno Heeren de Oliveira
Marcos Eugênio Silva Abrantes
Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographs
Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences
Covid-19
Low Dose of Ionizing Radiation
Chest Computed Tomography
Diagnostic Reference Levels
title Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographs
title_full Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographs
title_fullStr Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographs
title_full_unstemmed Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographs
title_short Impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging: a comparative study between tomographs
title_sort impact of computed tomography parameters on radiation dose in chest imaging a comparative study between tomographs
topic Covid-19
Low Dose of Ionizing Radiation
Chest Computed Tomography
Diagnostic Reference Levels
url https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/2859
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