Special journal issue focuses on radiation dose optimization

To be published online Monday, March 3, a special issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR®) focuses on improving the safety of computed tomography (CT) exams through careful radiation dose optimization. The issue was guest edited by Rebecca Smith-Bindman, M.D., from the University of California San Francisco, and John M. Boone, Ph.D., from the University of California Davis.

Articles include:

Dose Is Not Always What It Seems: Where Very Misleading Values Can Result From Volume CT Dose Index and Dose Length Product
J. Anthony Seibert, Ph.D; John M. Boone, Ph.D.

CTDIvol is not the radiation dose that the patient receives from a CT exam. The authors explain why patient size must be considered when estimating patient dose.

Content and Style of Radiation Risk Communication for Pediatric Patients
Joshua S. Broder, M.D.; Donald P. Frush, M.D.

Communication of radiation risks from diagnostic imaging of children requires a shared and defined responsibility between health care professionals, including the ordering physician and imaging experts such as radiologists.

Improving the Application of Imaging Clinical Decision Support Tools: Making the Complex Simple
Joshua S. Broder, M.D.; Safwan S. Halabi, M.D.

Optimal decision support tools could improve the appropriate use of diagnostic imaging by the automatic incorporation of data from the electronic medical record into evidence-based diagnostic algorithms tailored to individual patients.

CT Protocol Review and Optimization
James M. Kofler, Ph.D.; Dianna D. Cody, Ph.D.; Richard L. Morin, Ph.D.

The authors describe methods for pinpointing deficiencies in CT protocols and provide a systematic approach for optimizing protocols.

CTSim: An Interactive Computer Simulation to Learn the Fundamentals of CT Dose Optimization
Cindy S. Lee, M.D.; Erika Bildsten Reinhardt, B.S.; Rebecca Smith-Bindman, M.D.

CTSim represents a unique educational approach to help you understand how to optimize CT protocols for diagnostic quality and patient safety.

For additional information, or to schedule an interview with a JACR spokesperson, contact Heather Williams at 703-390-9822 or PR@acr.org.