A ‘‘dual’’ focus on radiation dose and image quality: Guide paths for cardiac CT

Editorial Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (2008) 2

The number of diagnostic cardiac imaging tests involving x-rays has increased in the past decades. For example, the volume of diagnostic catheter angiography procedures performed in the United States increased from 2.45 million in 1993 to 3.85 million in 2002. (1) Similarly, the number of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy examinations and cardiac CT examinations have also increased. A consequence of this greater use of x-ray–associated cardiac imaging tests (and other non–cardiac imaging tests) is the attendant increased burden to the population from medical radiation. Thus, it is the responsibility of cardiac imagers to be aware of the radiation doses they apply and to their potential risk. Early methods of cardiac CT showed the feasibility of the technique, yet enthusiasm for the method was dampened by image quality limitations and potentially high levels of radiation exposure. The subsequent challenge to the field has been to simultaneously improve CT image quality while also reducing radiation exposure. […]

(1) Zanzonico P, Rothenberg LN, Strauss HW: Radiation exposure of computed tomography and direct intracoronary angiography: risk has its reward. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;47:1846–9.

Full text: J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr. 2008 Nov;2(6):401-2. Epub 2008 Oct 29.