EYE LENS DOSE OPTIMIZATION THROUGH GANTRY TILTING IN BRAIN CT SCAN: THE POTENTIAL EFFECT OF THE RADIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGISTS’ TRAINING

Abstract

Abstract This study was designed to evaluate the effect of the radiological technologists’ training on optimising the eye lens dose in brain computed tomography (CT) examinations. The lens dose of 50 adult patients was measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters before and after technologists’ training. Dose values of lenses, dose length product (DLP), volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol) as well as image quality in terms of quantitative (contrast to noise ratio and signal to noise ratio) and subjective (artefact) parameters were compared before and after training. Lens dose values were 31.57 ± 9.84 mGy and 5.36 ± 1.53 mGy before and after training, respectively, which was reduced by ~83% (p < 0.05). The values of DLP, CTDIvol and image quality parameters were not significantly different (p > 0.05) and all images were diagnostically acceptable. Excluding the orbits from the scanning range is an efficient approach to optimize the lens dose; the training of the technologists has also a pivotal role in dose reducing.