ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a discussion of
radiation dose in X-ray computed tomography (CT), with
specific application to CT of the cardiovascular system.
Although CT represents a small percentage of radiological
procedures performed, CT contributes a significant amount
to the collective effective radiation dose from all radiological
procedures.1 Rapid advances in CT technology have
increased both the utility and utilization of CT in many
clinical diagnostic applications. Specifically, as tube rotation
times climbed to the 0.5 second range and as the number of
detector rows first reached 16 and then continued on to
64, the ability to perform CT scans for the coronary arteries
has increased dramatically.2-4 This has led to a significant
increase in the number of patients being scanned for
cardiovascular problems, both in a screening and diagnostic
context.
