A Comparison of Effective doses for the 16, 64, and 128-slice Computed Tomography Scanners: A First Health Cluster Study in Riyadh

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to compare the effective doses among 16, 64, and 128-slice computed tomography (CT) scanners. Several strategies have been implemented to reduce the radiation dose from CT, including a low tube voltage, a high pitch protocol, automatic tube current modulation, and iterative reconstruction algorithms. These strategies have reduced the radiation dose from the previously reported >20 mSv to <3–5 mSv or even <1 mSv. This study compared the radiation doses associated with routine CT scans performed using various multi-slice CT scanners. Materials and Methods: A total of 330 patients who underwent CT scans as part of their routine clinical diagnoses from December 4, 2018, to March 26, 2019, were screened cross-sectionally. CT scans were performed using 16-slice GE HealthCare BrightSpeed, 64-slice GE HealthCare Discovery CT750 HD, and 128-slice Siemens Healthineers SOMATOM Definition Flash CT scanner systems. The parameters considered in the analysis were age, sex, body region, scanner type (16, 64, and 128 slices), dose length product, and the estimated mean ED. The effective radiation dose was calculated using the dose length product and compared among the scanner types. Results: We evaluated the CT scans of 166 men (50.3%) and 164 women (49.7%) patients. Among the three types of CT scanners used, the 16-slice CT scanner had the highest effective radiation dose for brain ( P = 0.024), paranasal sinus ( P = 0.027), cervical spine ( P = 0.04), chest ( P < 0.001) and pelvis ( P = 0.014). Conclusion: The 16-slice CT scanner has the highest effective radiation dose compared to the 64 and 128-slice scanners. When performing routine CT scans with low-end CT scanner systems, dose-reduction strategies should be considered.