Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Pediatric Patient Body Shape May Play a Key Role in Decreasing Radiation Dose During CT Scans

Pediatric Patient Body Shape May Play a Key Role in Decreasing Radiation Dose During CT Scans

April 24, 2009

Manipulation of kVp (kilovoltage peak) and mAs (tube current flow) according to a patient's body shape may help reduce radiation doses in pediatric patients during CT, according to a study performed at the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital in Cleveland, OH.

Phantoms that were 10, 16 and 32 cm in diameter (canvases of the average waist sizes for children two to 18 years of age) were used during the study. 120 dose measurements were made using various kVp and mAs levels. The lowest dose found on the 10 cm was 12 mGy; the lowest dose found on the 16 cm was 19 mGy; and the lowest dose found on the 32 cm was 20 mGy," said Janet Reid, MD, and William Davros, MD, lead authors of the study. Results showed that although dose reduction is easily achieved through manipulation of mAs, it may be preferable to reduce the dose by adjusting the kVp, especially in the setting of iodinated contrast-enhanced scans which takes advantage of the higher k-edge absorption (enhancing the shades of grey) at a lower kVp.




"Our hopes are to tailor a patient's radiation dose to their body shape, not just their weight and age," said Drs. Reid and Davros. "In doing so, a patient will get a decreased radiation dose that is tailored to them. A personalized radiation dose," they said.

This study will be presented at the 2009 ARRS Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, on Tuesday, April 28. For a copy of the full study, please contact Heather Curry via email at hcurry@arrs.org.

About ARRS

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm RΓΆentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895

American Roentgen Ray Society



Related Radiation Dose Current Events and Radiation Dose News Articles Radiation Dose Current Events and Radiation Dose News RSS Radiation Dose Current Events and Radiation Dose News RSS
First use of antibody and stem cell transplantation to successfully treat advanced leukemia
For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options.

Study of concurrent radiotherapy, chemotherapy shows promise in small cell lung cancer
Treating limited stage small cell lung cancer(LSCL) with a combination of accelerated high-dose radiotherapy and chemotherapy has shown encouraging results.

Short-term hormone therapy and intermediate dose radiation increases survivial for early stage prostate cancer
Short-term hormone therapy given prior to and during intermediate dose radiation treatment for men with early stage prostate cancer increases their chance of living longer, compared to those who receive the same radiation alone.

Task force develops new radiation guidelines for brachytherapy
Radiation dose delivered to the prostate and nearby organs in every brachytherapy procedure should be carefully analyzed using post-implant CT or MRI and uniformly documented in every patient.

Identification of highly radiosensitive patients may lead to side effect-free radiotherapy
An international group of scientists has taken the first step on the road to targeting radiotherapy dosage to individual patients by means of their genetic characteristics.

Radiologists find a technique to significantly reduce patient radiation dose during CT angiography
Radiologists have discovered that prospective electrocardiogram (ECG) gating allows them to significantly reduce the patient radiation dose delivered during computed tomography (CT) angiography, a common noninvasive technique used to evaluate vascular disease.

Comprehensive cardiac CT scan may give clearer picture of significant heart disease
A team of researchers led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) radiologists has developed a computed-tomography-based protocol that identifies both narrowing of coronary arteries and areas of myocardial ischemia - restricted blood flow to heart muscle tissue - giving a better indication of clinically significant coronary artery disease.

Radiologists, medical physicists work to make imaging procedures safer
The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) reaffirmed its commitment to patient safety today in responding to a study and accompanying perspective on radiation dose from medical imaging procedures in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Iterative reconstruction technique significantly reduces patient radiation dose during CT scans
Computed tomography (CT) scans are responsible for more than two thirds of the total radiation dose associated with medical imaging exams.

Perform non-radiation ERCP during pregnancy: Is it safe?
Hormonal changes during pregnancy increase the lithogenicity of bile and impair gallbladder emptying, which create a favorable environment for gallstone formation.
More Radiation Dose Current Events and Radiation Dose News Articles
ICRP Publication 80: Radiation Dose to Patients from Radiopharmaceuticals

ICRP Publication 80: Radiation Dose to Patients from Radiopharmaceuticals
by ICRP (Author)

Paperback. ICRP Publication 80 provides biokinetic models, absorbed doses, and effective doses, using ICRP Publication 60 dosimetry, for 10 new radiopharmaceuticals. It also provides recalculated dose data for the 19 most frequently used radiopharmaceuticals from ICRP Publication 53, using ICRP Publication 60 dosimetry, and corrects various printing errors in ICRP Publication 53. Furthermore, the report reproduces with minor corrections and updates, and therefore supersedes, Addendum 1 to ICRP Publication 53.The report also includes an Addendum to ICRP Publication 72 concerning age-dependent doses to members of the public fro

Mdct Physics The Basicstechnology, Image Quality And Radiation Dose

Mdct Physics The Basicstechnology, Image Quality And Radiation Dose
by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

MDCT Physics The BasicsTechnology, Image Quality and Radiation Dose : MDCT Physics The BasicsTechnology, Image Quality and Radiation Dose Pub Date: May 2009 Product Type: Print Author/s: Mahadevappa Mahesh MS, PhD Written by the chief physicist at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, this easy-to-read short textbook explains the physics behind multi-detector CT technology, particularly newer, more complex technology. The focus is on principles of physics, effects of scan parameters on image quality, and optimum radiation dosage. The book includes numerous key points summaries and questions to assist in exam preparation.

The Light Brigade

The Light Brigade
Directed By: Michael Keusch
Also With: Brent Karl Clackson (Producer), Richard B. Lewis (Producer), Pen Densham (Producer), John Watson (Producer), Jonathan Glassner (Producer), Brad Wright (Producer), Scott Shepherd (Producer)



The Breast Center Video: What Every Woman Should Know (This Video Could Save Your Life)

The Breast Center Video: What Every Woman Should Know (This Video Could Save Your Life)
Also With: Marcia Wallace (Host), Dr. Melvin J. Silverstein (Commentary), Dr. Neal Handel (Commentary)

One in ten American women will develop breast cancer. But breast cancer does not necessarily mean death, or even loss of a breast, IF you know how to minimize your risk. This video dispels the many myths about breast cancer and contains up to date information on: low dose mammography; breast self-exam - how to do it, step-by-step; nutrition; breast cancer treatment options; and breast reconstruction. The Breast Center is a leading breast cancer treatment and research center. A pioneer in breast conservation, immediate reconstruction and diagnostic screening techniques.

Permissible Dose: A History of Radiation Protection in the Twentieth Century

Permissible Dose: A History of Radiation Protection in the Twentieth Century
by J. Samuel Walker (Author)

How much radiation is too much? J. Samuel Walker examines the evolution, over more than a hundred years, of radiation protection standards and efforts to ensure radiation safety for nuclear workers and for the general public. The risks of radiation-caused by fallout from nuclear bomb testing, exposure from medical or manufacturing procedures, effluents from nuclear power, or radioactivity from other sources-have aroused more sustained controversy and public fear than any other comparable industrial or environmental hazard. Walker clarifies the entire radiation debate, showing that permissible dose levels are a key to the principles and practices that have prevailed in the field of radiation protection since the 1930s, and to their highly charged political and scientific history as well.

Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR VII – Phase 2

Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR VII – Phase 2
by Committee to Assess Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation (Author), National Research Council (Author)

This book is the seventh in a series of titles from the National Research Council that addresses the effects of exposure to low dose LET (Linear Energy Transfer) ionizing radiation and human health. Updating information previously presented in the 1990 publication, "Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR V", this book draws upon new data in both epidemiologic and experimental research. Ionizing radiation arises from both natural and man-made sources and at very high doses can produce damaging effects in human tissue that can be evident within days after exposure. However, it is the low-dose exposures that are the focus of this book. So-called late effects, such as cancer, are produced many years after the initial exposure. This book is among the first of its...

Scintillators for Mixed Beam Dosimetry: Evaluation of Scintillation Detectors for Radiation Dose Measurements  in Accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Scintillators for Mixed Beam Dosimetry: Evaluation of Scintillation Detectors for Radiation Dose Measurements in Accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
by Don-Soo Kim (Author)

Two scintillators, a Li-6 loaded ZnS(Ag) inorganic scintillator and a natural boron loaded (10 % concentration by weight) plastic scintillator, were evaluated for dose measurements in accelerator- based boron neutron capture therapy (ABNCT) using various monoenergetic neutrons generated via the Li-7(p,n)Be-7 reaction. Protons to initiate the reaction were obtained from the Van de Graaff accelerator at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. While the inorganic scintillator has pronounced response to thermal neutrons, the boron loaded plastic scintillator is quite sufficient for detecting signals due to both fast and thermal neutrons, as well as gamma rays. The plastic scintillator can be used in mixed beam dosimetry for fast neutrons, thermal...

Low Doses of Radiation: Are They Dangerous?

Low Doses of Radiation: Are They Dangerous?
by E. B. Burlakova (Editor)

This important book delineates experimental studies of effects of low dose irradiation on biological objects (organisms, cells, and biomolecules) and presents theoretical concepts related to this issue. The problem of low dose irradiation has many aspects: theoretical (what is truth), populist, political, and bureaucratic (low doses versus the atomic industry). The book contains important works dealing with one of important effects of low dose irradiation - an adaptive response. It is known that a subsequent high dose irradiation of cells and organisms irradiated earlier with low doses causes lesser damages than after irradiation with a high dose. Some of the authors consider a dependence of an adaptive response on a radiation dose and dose rate and on a time span between the first...

  When Is a Dose Not a Dose (Lauriston S. Taylor Lectures in Radiation Protection and Measurements, Lecture No. 15)
by Victor P. Bond (Author)



Radiation Dose from Adult and Pediatric Multidetector Computed Tomography (Medical Radiology / Diagnostic Imaging)

Radiation Dose from Adult and Pediatric Multidetector Computed Tomography (Medical Radiology / Diagnostic Imaging)
by D. Tack (Editor), P.A. Gevenois (Editor), A.L. Baert (Editor)

Because of the radiation dose delivered, multidetector row CT (MDCT) may induce cancers, and the risk of death has been estimated at up to one per 1,000 examinations. Despite this, only a small proportion of referring clinicians, radiologists, and technologists are aware of both the radiation risks and their underlying mechanisms. This book is designed to rectify this situation. The first part of the book provides a comprehensive approach to all the factors that influence the radiation dose and subsequently the risk induced by using MDCT in children and adult patients. In the second part, guidelines are proposed for optimization of the radiation dose in order to obtain an image quality sufficient for appropriate diagnostic performance while restricting the dose delivered. This book,...

© 2009 BrightSurf.com