Risks, Benefits, and Risk Reduction Strategies in Thoracic CT Imaging

Chest computed tomography (CT) is a useful tool for diagnosing various thoracic conditions and has become the diagnostic imaging modality of choice for many diseases. Recent discussions about the radiation dose from CT have attracted the attention of medical professionals and the general public. This article discusses radiation dose with an emphasis on chest CT and on current techniques for patient dose reduction. Four techniques are discussed in detail, including tube current modulation, automatic exposure control, automatic tube voltage selection, and iterative image reconstruction. Adopting these techniques in routine clinical practice can dramatically reduce radiation dose levels.