A new era in computed tomographic dose optimization: the impact of iterative reconstruction on image quality and radiation dose

• Published in: Journal of computer assisted tomography Vol. 37; no. 6; p. 924
• Main Authors: Kordolaimi, Sofia D, Argentos, Stylianos, Pantos, Ioannis, Kelekis, Nikolaos L, Efstathopoulos, Efstathios P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Algorithms; Body Burden; Radiation Dosage; Radiation Protection - methods; Radiographic Image Enhancement - methods; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods
• ISSN: 1532-3145
• DOI: 10.1097/RCT.0b013e318282d95a

The ongoing evolution of computer technology has made the use of iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms clinically applicable. We reviewed current literature on the clinical use of IR against filtered back projection algorithms in terms of image quality and radiation dose. Iterative reconstruction algorithms provide equal or better image quality compared with filtered back projection, with dose reduction ranging from 25% to 98.6%. However, several studies have reported that the superior results of IR regarding objective evaluation are not always favorably interpreted by radiologists. Further clinical evaluation is needed to certify the optimal tradeoff between imaging quality and radiation dose, and radiologists need to become more familiar with the new appearance of computed tomographic images.