Study finds ultralow-dose CTC equivalent to normal-dose scans

The need for dose reduction is real in CT colonography (CTC), an exam that could be repeated several times between ages 50 and 80 years, when colorectal cancer screening is recommended. Fortunately, the University of Rome La Sapienza is on the case, working to reduce the dose for CTC to sub-mSv levels consistently.

Investigators are dealing with "widespread diffusion of CTC with a huge increase in the number of examinations per year (at least in Europe), concerns of patients about dose exposure, and increased attention of the radiological community toward radiation delivered with new CT scanners," Dr. Riccardo Ferrari said.

Using ultralow-dose exposure settings combined with iterative reconstruction, the researchers studied ultralow-dose CT in addition to a standard-dose exam in 55 patients, Ferrari told AuntMinnie.com.

"The novelty of our study was the investigation of a routine population of patients scheduled to undergo CTC, and not phantom models," he said.

Not only did the results show consistently low radiation doses across the board, but there were no significant differences in sensitivity between the standard-dose and sub-mSv protocols for polyps 6 mm and larger, as well as for colorectal cancers.