Journal of cardiovascular computed tomography
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J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyVery low-dose coronary artery calcium scanning with high-pitch spiral acquisition mode: comparison between 120-kV and 100-kV tube voltage protocols.
Effective radiation dose from a single coronary artery calcification CT scan can range from 0.8 to 10.5 mSv, depending on the protocol. Reducing the effective radiation dose to reasonable levels without affecting diagnostic image quality can result in substantial dose reduction in CT. ⋯ High-pitch spiral acquisition allows coronary calcium scoring with effective doses below 0.5 mSv. The use of 100-kV tube voltage further reduces effective radiation dose compared with the standard of 120 kV; however, it leads to significant overestimation of the Agatston score when the standard threshold of 130 HU is used. Adjusting the threshold to 147 HU leads to a better agreement compared with standard 120 kV protocols yet with a remaining systematic bias toward overestimation of the Agatston score. For high-pitch spiral acquisition mode, effective radiation dose reduction when using a 100-kV setting is minimal compared with the standard 120-kV setting and may be considered nonsignificant in a clinical setting.