Exploration of Organ Dose Modulation in Male Pelvic CT Scanning

Objective: Organ dose modulation (ODM) was used in male pelvic electronic computed tomography (CT) scans. To avoid affecting clinical diagnosis, the effective radiation dose of pelvic tissues and organs in men should be reduced to provide a theoretical basis for the future application of this technology in the epidemiological large-scale CT screening of male pelvic diseases and reduce radiation damage in the population. Methods: 150 adult male subjects with planned pelvic CT scans were selected in a randomized controlled clinical trial. In this study, the subjects were divided into A_ODM, B_ATCM, and C_LOW groups according to the randomization table method. In the ODM group, the ODM utilized automatic tube current modulation (ATCM); only ATCM and the other scanning conditions were consistent; in the C_LOW group, the ATCM was set to fixed tube current, and the other conditions were consistent. The peak human square tubular current was measured and recorded by placing the DLVA-ACT voltammetric characteristic tester in the anterior, left, posterior, and right sides. The effective dose (ED) was calculated from the radiation dose table data automatically generated after the CT scan. The effective radiation dose of the prostate was estimated by calculating SSDE_prostate from the AAPM220 report. At the central level of the pelvic prostate, the region of interest (ROI) was selected in the prostate and gluteus muscle regions to compare standard deviation (SD) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The reconstructed transaxial and coronal images were scored under the pelvic soft tissue window. Results: The objective data showed that the anterior tube current was significantly lower than that in the B_ATCM group; no statistical difference was observed in the other directions. Pairwise comparisons between the SD and SNR levels in the three prostate regions were statistically significant; the SD and SNR levels in the gluteus maximus region were not significant between the A_ODM and B_ATCM groups. The difference in the signal organ effective dose (ED_OS) and overall effective radiation dose (ED) between the volumetric CT dose Index (CTDI_vol). Compared with the B_ATCM group, the tube current and ED in the A_ODM group decreased. Conclusion: Compared with traditional CT scanning, ODM is used in male pelvic electronic CT, which can reduce the radiation intensity of radiation-sensitive organs in the pelvic cavity and ED of single organs to obtain medical images that satisfy clinical standards.