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(Radiology. 2000;215:175-183.)
© RSNA, 2000


Thoracic Imaging

Lung Cancer Screening: Minimum Tube Current Required for Helical CT1

Shigeki Itoh, MD, Mituru Ikeda, MD, Shoji Arahata, MD, Takeshi Kodaira, MD, Takayuki Isomura, MD, Takashi Kato, MD, Kouji Yamakawa, MD, Kunihiro Maruyama, MD and Takeo Ishigaki, MD

1 From the Departments of Radiology (S.I., S.A., T. Kodaira, T. Isomura, K.M., T. Ishigaki) and Medical Information and Medical Records (M.I.), Nagoya University School of Medicine, 65 Turumai-cho Showa-ku, 466-0065 Nagoya, Japan; the Department of Biofunctional Research, National Institute for Longevity Science, Oubu, Japan (T. Kato); and the Department of Radiology, Tosei General Hospital, Seto, Japan (K.Y.). From the 1998 RSNA scientific assembly. Received November 10, 1998; revision requested January 21, 1999; final revision received September 1; accepted September 9. Address reprint requests to S.I.

PURPOSE: To investigate the minimum tube current required for helical computed tomography (CT) for lung cancer screening.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty helical scans of the lung were obtained at effective tube currents of 50, 30, 20, 18, 12, 10, and 6 mAs in seven healthy volunteers. Computer-generated nodules 6 mm in diameter that showed ground-glass opacity were superimposed on the images. The image quality and detectability of nodules were evaluated subjectively by six observers. The SDs of measured CT numbers were calculated. The results were analyzed according to location in the lung.

RESULTS: Compared with the subjective quality of images obtained at 50 mAs, the subjective quality of images obtained at 20 mAs was not significantly different. The detectability of nodules was not significantly degraded by reducing the tube current to 20 mAs in the upper zone of the lung, to 12 mAs in the middle zone, or to 18 mAs in the lower zone. The SDs at the apex and base of the lung were larger than those at other levels, and the difference became greater as the dose was reduced.

CONCLUSION: The minimum tube current required for screening helical CT differs for different locations in the lung. An ideal CT protocol for the lung should permit the tube current to be changed during helical scanning.

Index terms: Cancer screening, 60.12115, 60.32 • Computed tomography (CT), helical, 60.12115 • Computed tomography (CT), image quality, 60.12115 • Lung neoplasms, CT, 60.12115, 60.32 • Lung neoplasms, diagnosis, 60.12115, 60.32




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