Enter Your Email Address to Receive a
Copy of MedicExhange Member Demograhpics

Optimization of CTCA protocols leads to a significant reduction in radiation Dose To The Female Breast, a study to be presented on Tuesday, May 4, at 1:20 p.m. Pacific Timeat the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

Optimization of protocols during computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) using prospective electrocardiogram (ECG) gating and breast shields can reduce the radiation dose delivered to the female breast by more than 80 percent, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 10 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

CTCA is a common, non-invasive procedure that is used to evaluate the coronary arteries. Prospective ECG gating is an imaging technique that allows radiologists to scan only during a certain phase of the heart beat cycle. Breast shields are placed over the chest during a CT exam to block out primary X-ray beams, which are responsible for most of the breast radiation during a CT study.

Researchers at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, scanned an adult female phantom using eight different CTCA protocols. "The highest breast dose (82.9 mGy) was associated with using retrospective ECG gating. The lowest breast dose (15.2 mGy) was achieved with prospective gating with narrow exposure window, resulting in an 82 percent reduction in breast dose. The use of surface breast shields resulted in an additional 38 percent reduction in breast dose," said Abadi.

"All use of ionizing radiation requires constant vigilance to ensure appropriate utilization and this is certainly true for CTCA," he said.

"Significant reductions in radiation dose will reduce the statistical likelihood of causing genetic damage and long term risk of adverse results," said Abadi.

Source: ARRS

You can discuss more about ARRS conference in our Radiology & Healthcare IT Conferences Group.