Toward assessing the diagnostic influence of dose reduction in pediatric CT: a study based on simulated lung nodules

Xiang Li; Ehsan Samei; David M. DeLong; Robert P. Jones; James G. Colsher; Donald P. Frush

doi:10.1117/12.772089

25 March 2008 Toward assessing the diagnostic influence of dose reduction in pediatric CT: a study based on simulated lung nodules

Xiang Li, Ehsan Samei, David M. DeLong, Robert P. Jones, James G. Colsher, Donald P. Frush

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6913, Medical Imaging 2008: Physics of Medical Imaging; 69131L (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772089
Event: Medical Imaging, 2008, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of reduced tube current, as a surrogate for radiation dose, on lung nodule detection in pediatric chest multi-detector CT (MDCT). Normal chest MDCT images of 13 patients aged 1 to 7 years old were used as templates for this study. The original tube currents were between 70 mA and 180 mA. Using proprietary noise addition software, noise was added to the images to create 13 cases at the lowest common mA (i.e. 70 mA), 13 cases at 35 mA (50% reduction), and 13 cases at 17.5 mA (75% reduction). Three copies of each case were made for a total of 117 series for simulated nodule insertion. A technique for three-dimensional simulation of small lung nodules was developed, validated through an observer study, and used to add nodules to the series. Care was taken to ensure that each of three lung zones (upper, middle, lower) contained 0 or 1 nodule. The series were randomized and the presence of a nodule in each lung zone was rated independently and blindly by three pediatric radiologists on a continuous scale between 0 (definitely absent) and 100 (definitely present). Receiver operating characteristic analysis of the data showed no general significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between the reduced mA values and 70 mA, suggesting a potential for dose reduction with preserved diagnostic quality. To our knowledge, this study is the first controlled, systematic, and task-specific assessment of the influence of dose reduction in pediatric chest CT.

Citation Download Citation

Xiang Li, Ehsan Samei, David M. DeLong, Robert P. Jones, James G. Colsher, and Donald P. Frush "Toward assessing the diagnostic influence of dose reduction in pediatric CT: a study based on simulated lung nodules", Proc. SPIE 6913, Medical Imaging 2008: Physics of Medical Imaging, 69131L (25 March 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772089

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available