OMICS Journal of Radiology
Open Access

Research Article

Management and Optimisation of the Dose in Computed Tomography via a Dose Tracking Software

¹Konstantopoulio General Hospital, Nea Ionia, Athens, Greece

²National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Physics Laboratory, Athens, Greece

³Piraeus University of Applied Sciences (TEI of Piraeus), Electronic Computer Systems Engineering, Athens, Greece

⁴4Radiation Protection and Quality Assurance Office “M Molfetas”, Athens, Greece

*Corresponding Author:

Dimitrios Nikolopoulos
Piraeus University of Applied Science
Electronic Computer Systems Engineering
Petrou Ralli and Thivon 250
GR-12244, Aigaleo, Greece
Tel: 0030-210-5381560
Fax: 0030-210-5381436
E-mail: dniko@teipir.gr

Received date: May 17, 2016; Accepted date: July 06, 2016; Published date: July 11, 2016

Citation: Chatzoglou V, Kottou S, Nikolopoulos D, Molfetas M, Papailiou I, et al. (2016) Management and Optimisation of the Dose in Computed Tomography via Dose Tracking Software. OMICS J Radiol 5:227. doi: 10.4172/2167-7964.1000227

Copyright: © 2016 Chatzoglou V, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Introduction: Computed Tomography (CT) produces high quality diagnostic images at the expense of increased radiation dose compared to routine radiographic examinations. The dose from the CT examinations can be reduced by controlling certain scanning parameters and optimising the employed practices. In this study a patient dosetracking software was utilised for the management of the CT doses and the optimisation of the scanning protocols. Material and Methods: DoseWatch from GE® Healthcare is a software for monitoring the radiation dose of patients undergoing CT examinations. It tracks simultaneously relevant technical and patient data. DoseWatch was used for the assessment of the scanning protocols of a Philips Brilliance 64 CT scanner during a period of three months in a large public general hospital of Athens in Greece. The dose dataset was compared with the CT Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) available from the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC). Results and Conclusion: DoseWatch was deemed as a quick and effective tool for tracking and optimising the doses in CT examinations. It can be utilised as well for the improvement of the related scanning protocols. Through this suitable software, patients were identified with CT doses higher than the corresponding CT DRLs. The scanning parameters of the investigated cases were modified accordingly to achieve reduction of the corresponding CT doses.

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