Measurements and applications of dose indices in radiography

Assessments of radiation dose and image quality are required in diagnostic radiography for quality assurance and optimization studies. In work currently being undertaken, dose indices were measured and image quality evaluated for a chest PA procedure. Thermoluminescent dosimeters of the GR-200 type were attached to the entrance and exit surfaces and placed at various depths of the PMMA phantom to measure the entrance surface dose, the exit surface dose, and the organ dose index. The effective dose was estimated from the entrance surface dose using PCXMC software. Two contrast-detail image plates, one with air holes for the low contrast objects and the other with gypsum holes for the high contrast objects, were used to obtain radiographic images. This image plate was placed at different depths from the entrance surface of the phantom to simulate objects at different positions in the body. Each image was evaluated by three independent radiologists to determine image quality. Analyses of radiation dose versus image quality were performed to determine the optimal technical factors such as, filtration and tube potential. It was found that an 11-cm thick PMMA phantom best simulated the patients. The fractional dose backscattered from this phantom was between 22% and 27% for kVp's between 66 and 133. Optimization analyses showed that no extra filter was required. For low contrast objects, an optimal choice of tube potential was 120 kVp. For high contrast objects, a kVp as low as 77 kVp could be used, depending on the image quality requirement.