Siemens Healthcare has created the Siemens Radiation Reduction Alliance (SIERRA), an initiative aimed at reducing radiation dose in CT.
As part of SIERRA, the Malvern, PA-based vendor has established an expert panel of 15 specialists in radiology, cardiology, and physics. The panel's objective is to generate proposals for how manufacturers may continue to develop their technology and to help users better adapt their imaging procedures to achieve further dose reduction in CT, according to Siemens.
At its first round of discussions last month, SIERRA's low-dose expert panel identified several action items, according to Siemens.
First, the group agreed to establish and contribute to an international, multi-institutional dose registry to establish a baseline of dose levels for the 10 most commonly performed CT exams. These baseline values can help to establish reference doses, with the potential to lower radiation exposure in clinical practice dramatically, according to Siemens.
The participating institutions will also share their CT scan protocols for the 10 CT exams on a central website to promote best-practice sharing in the field, Siemens said. In addition, Siemens said it will develop a dedicated low-dose educational program in collaboration with the institutions; trainers specializing in dose reduction technology will work with customers to train personnel, optimize scan protocols, and implement dose reduction procedures.
The panel will meet twice a year.
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