Reducing CT radiation dose for all patients, but particularly for children, has been an industry priority for some time now. The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging has led the way with its “Image Gently” initiative. Now, GE Healthcare has sponsored the development of newly validated procedure-base protocols. The protocols can be downloaded from the company’s website, free of charge.

 GE Healthcare joined forces with Mannudeep K. Kalra, MD, Sjirk Westra, MD, and Sarabeth Singh, MBBS, MMST, to develop a dose-reduction solution, which lowers radiation by accounting for a patient’s weight, scan type, number of prior CT studies and 3D automatic exposure control. These parameters then direct the user to one of three “color zones,” the basis of procedure-based protocols. Within each color zone an automatically controlled exposure level is determined by one of five weight categories. GE Healthcare has long embraced the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle. These newly validated protocols represent the latest additions to the company’s growing portfolio of dose reduction capabilities.

 Kalra and Singh looked at pediatric CT studies conducted on the same patients before and after implementation of procedure-based protocols. The researchers found that while dose can be reduced, lack of consistent use is an issue.

 Initially, slightly more than half of chest CT and nearly 75% of abdominal CT studies were performed according to the procedure-based protocols. But training made a difference. The compliance increased to 80% following additional training of radiologists and technologists regarding the rationale for using protocols. The researchers said there was a significant dose reduction without compromising the diagnostic utility of CT images when the new protocols were fully implemented.