Prabsattroo Thawatchai, Phaorod Jiranthanin, Tathuwan Piyaphat, Tongluan Khanitta, Punikhom Puengjai, Maharantawong Tongjit, Sudchai Waraporn
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
Nuclear Technology Service Center, Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology, Nakorn Nayok 26120, Thailand.
J Imaging. 2025 Feb 25;11(3):70. doi: 10.3390/jimaging11030070.
Computed tomography examination plays a vital role in imaging and its use has rapidly increased in radiology diagnosis. This study aimed to assess radiation doses of routine CT protocols of the brain, chest, and abdomen in three different CT scanners, together with a qualitative image quality assessment.
A picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and Radimetrics software version 3.4.2 retrospectively collected patients' radiation doses. Radiation doses were recorded as the CTDI, dose length product, and effective dose. CT images were acquired using the Catphan700 phantom to evaluate image quality.
The findings revealed that median values for the CTDI and DLP across the brain, chest, and abdomen protocols were lower than the national and international DRLs. Effective doses for brain, chest, and abdomen protocols were also below the median value of R. Smith-Bindman. Neusoft achieved higher spatial frequencies in brain protocols, while Siemens outperformed others in chest protocols. Neusoft consistently exhibited superior high-contrast resolution. Siemens and Neusoft outperformed low-contrast detectability, while Siemens also outperformed the contrast-to-noise ratio. In addition, Siemens had the lowest image noise in brain protocols and high uniformity in chest and abdomen protocols. Neusoft showed the lowest noise in chest and abdomen protocols and high uniformity in the brain protocol. The noise power spectrum revealed that Philips had the highest noise magnitude with different noise textures across protocols and scanners.
This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of radiation doses and image quality for three different CT scanners using standard clinical protocols. Almost all CT protocols exhibited radiation doses below the DRLs and demonstrated varying image qualities across each protocol and scanner. Selecting the right CT scanner for each protocol is essential to ensure that the CT images exhibit the best quality among a wide range of CT machines. The MTF, HCR, LCD, CNR, NPS, noise, and uniformity are suitable parameters for evaluating and monitoring image quality.
计算机断层扫描检查在成像中起着至关重要的作用，其在放射诊断中的应用迅速增加。本研究旨在评估三种不同CT扫描仪对脑、胸部和腹部进行常规CT扫描方案时的辐射剂量，并进行图像质量定性评估。
利用图像存档与通信系统（PACS）和3.4.2版Radimetrics软件回顾性收集患者的辐射剂量。辐射剂量记录为CTDI、剂量长度乘积和有效剂量。使用Catphan700体模获取CT图像以评估图像质量。
研究结果显示，脑、胸部和腹部扫描方案的CTDI和DLP中位数低于国家和国际剂量参考水平（DRL）。脑、胸部和腹部扫描方案的有效剂量也低于R. Smith-Bindman的中位数。东软在脑部扫描方案中实现了更高的空间频率，而西门子在胸部扫描方案中表现优于其他品牌。东软始终表现出卓越的高对比度分辨率。西门子和东软在低对比度可探测性方面表现出色，而西门子在对比噪声比方面也更胜一筹。此外，西门子在脑部扫描方案中的图像噪声最低，在胸部和腹部扫描方案中的均匀性较高。东软在胸部和腹部扫描方案中的噪声最低，在脑部扫描方案中的均匀性较高。噪声功率谱显示，飞利浦在不同扫描方案和扫描仪中的噪声幅度最高，且具有不同噪声纹理。
本研究使用标准临床方案对三种不同CT扫描仪的辐射剂量和图像质量进行了全面评估。几乎所有CT扫描方案的辐射剂量均低于剂量参考水平，并在每个方案和扫描仪中表现出不同的图像质量。为每个方案选择合适的CT扫描仪对于确保CT图像在众多CT设备中呈现最佳质量至关重要。调制传递函数（MTF）、高对比度分辨率（HCR）、低对比度可探测性（LCD）、对比噪声比（CNR）、噪声功率谱（NPS）、噪声和均匀性是评估和监测图像质量的合适参数。
