Quantum Radiology - Radiation Dose Reduction at WellStar

Quantum Radiologists are working hard to reduce radiation dosage received from diagnostic radiology studies at Wellstar. Our goal is to use the least amount of radiation needed to answer the clinical question from the referring physician. Most notably, we are eliminating most multiple phase scan protocols for routine contrast enhanced body CT scans, which cuts the dose in half the affected areas. (This change will not be implemented for relevant urologic histories such as hematuria, or for trauma, and if there is a particular clinical request for delayed images, we will be happy to discuss this with any referring physician.) We are also eliminating “overlap” double-scanning when combining chest and abdomen scans and reducing the dose from additional phases of some of the remaining multiple phase scans, such as dedicated liver protocol studies.) Additionally, we have ensured dose modulation techniques are activated whenever available for body protocols, and have increased internal dose reporting and monitoring to ensure compliance with these changes.

Looking forward, we are in the planning phase of a dose registry to help track radiation doses, and are also planning a “warning” system to help alert referring physicians when they have ordered CT scans on patients who have already had a large number of CT scans. We are also evaluating the newest “iterative reconstruction” technology to reduce CT radiation dose further without increasing noise.

While we do everything we can to reduce dose, you, the referring physician, play a key role in terms of selecting which studies are done. MRI or ultrasound involve no ionizing radiation and can be considered as alternatives to CT whenever clinically feasible. A low-dose CT chest protocol is already available and can be ordered as an alternative to regular dose CT for appropriate indications. Quantum radiologists are  always delighted to help referring physicians select the most appropriate imaging method for your particular patient, and can be reached at 404-WE-XRAY1 (404-939-7291).

We welcome feedback from our referring physicians regarding these changes. Aaron Cann, M.D., Ph.D., is the Quantum radiologist working on the body CT dose reduction methods, and can be reached at acann@quantumrad.com. Brian Snipes is the chief CT technologist for Wellstar, in charge of implementing many of these changes, and can be reached at brian.snipes@wellstar.org.