Comparison of a standard low dose CT chest protocol : a radiographers’ evaluation

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to compare two protocols, low-dose CT and standard CT of the chest in terms of dose and image quality in a public hospital in Malta. Methodology This study followed a quantitative prospective design. Firstly, the researcher formulated a radiation dose data sheet (containing CTDIvol and DLP values), then a subjective image quality scoring sheet which accounted for anatomy within the chest CT images. Participating radiographers analysed 12 (6 standard CT chest and 6 LDCT chest scans) Chest CT scans, merged with the image quality scoring sheet for by Visual Grading Analysis (VGA). The results were then analysed using Visual Grading Characteristics (VGC). The accessible participants for this study were 18 radiographers from Malta and those attending the EFRS Research Hub at ECR 2025. Results The comparison study showed that the image quality of LDCT scans was low when compared to standard CT. All 18 participants had similar answers showing that the quality of the images significantly decrease. Moreover, the VGC curves resulted in a shift towards the value of 1. In terms of radiation dose, it was proven that LDCT makes use of much less radiation dose as the DLP and CTDIvol collected values shown a significant 1000% reduction. Conclusions The results showed that reinforcing LDCT is still not sufficient for diagnostic interpretation for broader aspects, but it was confirmed that it is sufficient to continue with the current protocol of pulmonary lung nodule evaluation. Radiographer collectively agreed that standard CT image quality was still superior. Moreover, dose results showed that LDCT is very beneficial in dose reduction. Implications for practice Based on the overall findings of this study, it was revealed that the current LDCT protocol within the general public hospital should only be used for its current intended purpose.