Keywords:
Musculoskeletal spine, CT, Diagnostic procedure, Technology assessment, Radiation safety
Authors:
M. W. Kusk; Esbjerg/DK
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-2188
Aims and objectives
CT is used in many hospitals as first-line imaging modality in cervical trauma,
due to the higher accuracy compared to conventional radiography.
However radiation dose is a major concern,
due to the fact that many younger patients are scanned,
and the presence of radiosensitive tissue (thyroid glands) in the scan range.
The use of beam filters in radiography is a proven way to reduce dose from low-energy photons absorbed in the patient.
The Siemens SOMATOM FORCE scanner can scan at 150 kVp with tin beam filtration.
Use of this combination in cervical spine CT is not described in the litterature,
however dose reduction has been demonstrated in other anatomical regions.
The aims of this pilot study is thus to examine whether this technique can reduce radiation dose without compromising image quality in CT of the cervical spine.