Abstract:
Objective: To investigate the distribution characteristics of radiation doses along the X- and Z-axes for otorhinolaryngological dual-source cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) under different fields of view (FOVs) and tube voltages. Methods: A standard head dosimetry phantom with a diameter of 16 cm was scanned using an otorhinolaryngological dual-source cone-beam CT system. Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were placed at regular intervals in two directions: along the Z-axis parallel to the central axis inside the CT gantry bore and along the X-axis at positions that were 10 cm outside the gantry. The scanning parameters for System 1 were fixed at 100 kV and 10mA and there were four FOV groups: 23 ×19 cm, 16×13 cm, 16×6 cm, and 8×8 cm. However, the FOV for System 2 was fixed at 7×4 cm with three scanning parameters: 120 kV/8mA, 110 kV/8mA, and 100 kV/8mA. All the scanning protocols were repeated four times. After exposure, the TLD readings total for each protocol were divided by four to obtain average values and all the measured data were statistically analyzed. Results: The maximum radiation dose at point Z
0, which was the direct irradiation area of the central scanning beam, was
17277.6 µGy, the scattered radiation dose at all measurement points along the Z- and X-axes gradually decreased as the distance from the scanning center increased, and the scattered radiation dose at 440 cm from the scanning center along the Z-axis remained consistent with the background radiation level. The scattered-radiation doses decreased as the FOV and tube voltage declined when the other parameters were kept constant. The scattered dose on the foot side of the gantry was significantly higher than that for the head side of the gantry at the same equidistant points (
Z = −3.517,
P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in dose values between equidistant measuring points on the left and right sides of the gantry (
Z = −0.583,
P = 0.560). Conclusion: Selecting different fields of view and tube voltages for otorhinolaryngological dual-source cone-beam CT can significantly affect the distribution and magnitude of the radiation field. The small field-of-view scanning mode of 7×4 cm can effectively reduce the scattered radiation dose while yielding a relatively high displayed dose-area product (DAP).