Effective dose to patients from SPECT and CT during myocardial perfusion imaging

Abstract

Radiation dose to patients from imaging modalities is measured or calculated to assess the risk of the procedure and compare it with the benefits. Periodic review of image acquisition methods and the radiation dose used are an essential part of optimization in medical imaging. The aim of this study was to estimate patient radiation dose from SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using CT images for attenuation correction. Methods: SPECT and CT image acquisition parameters such as administered activity (AA), CT dose index (CTDIvol), and dose-length product for 415 patients who had undergone SPECT MPI using CT attenuation correction were reviewed. Effective dose (ED) for the SPECT part, the CT part and the total ED for the procedure were calculated. AA, CTDIvol, and ED values were compared between the 2 sexes and between body mass indexes (BMIs), imaging scanner models, and imaging centers. Statistical analyses were performed using t tests and 1-way ANOVA at P