CT Radiation Dose Management

Targeted CE per ARRT’s Discipline, Category, and Subcategory classification for enrollments starting after February 17, 2023:
[Note: Discipline-specific Targeted CE credits may be less than the total Category A credits approved for this course.]

Computed Tomography: 1.50
Safety: 1.50
Radiation Safety and Dose: 1.50

Outline

1. Introduction
2. CT Dose Management
   1. What is it and Why is it Necessary
   2. How is it Done
   3. Use of Data from Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
   4. Home-grown Programs
   5. Vendor-developed Radiation RTS Solutions
3. How We Use an RTS in Exposing the Exposure
   1. At Patient Level
   2. At Institutional Level
4. Advantages
5. Challenges
6. Outlook
7. Conclusion

Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will:

1. be familiar with the rapid growth of CT
2. understand the past methods of dose management
3. be familiar with ALARA
4. understand the role CT manufacturers have played in reducing radiation
5. be familiar with CT dose descriptors
6. know the existing campaigns to reduce radiation exposure
7. be familiar with the actions necessary to reduce radiation exposure in CT
8. identify the culture promoted in this article
9. know the characteristics of a dose management system
10. be familiar with DICOM RDSR
11. identify an example of a “home grown” dose management system
12. identify examples of the vendor-developed RTS solutions
13. be familiar with the steps taken in installing an RTS solution
14. understand the role of the medical physicist in the optimization process
15. identify the main objective of the RTS at a patient level
16. be familiar with the author’s recommended effective dose limits
17. be familiar with the goal of the RTS at the institutional level
18. understand the differences in radiation exposure due to technology
19. be able to interpret dose management reports
20. understand dose management findings
21. be able to interpret dose management finding in SSDE
22. be familiar with technical challenges for implementing RTS
23. be able to interpret the findings as reported by the authors
24. be able to interpret the findings as demonstrated by the authors
25. understand the challenges of implementation of RTS
26. be familiar with the potential advantages of a CT dose registry
27. be familiar with the CT dose registry discussed in the article
28. understand the DRL
29. be familiar with the adjuvants to RTS
30. identify the advantages of using a dose management system