Strategies for radiation dose reduction in head and neck CT

SubmilliSievert MDCT
Over the past decade, substantial efforts have been made to reduce the radiation exposure associated with MDCT examinations. Progress in radiation dose reduction has come from multiple angles, including advanced hardware systems for image acquisition, sophisticated image reconstruction software, and optimized clinical protocols [1]. Given the continuing research and development in this area, it is now conceivable that, in the near future, the effective dose from a routine CT examination will be under 1 mSv, i.e. less than the annual exposure from natural background radiation [1]. Two newly published research papers illustrate how innovative strategies can be applied to brain CT and supraaortic CT angiography to bring the effective dose near to, or below, the milliSievert level.