Sun QT, Fan YH, Liang BH. Advances in radiation protection related to pediatric chest computed tomography examinations. World J Radiol 2025; 17(7): 107486 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i7.107486]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bao-Hui Liang, PhD, School of Medical Imaging, Bengbu Medical University, No. 2600 Donghai Road, Bengbu 233000, Anhui Province, China. 0800093@bbmu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Radiol. Jul 28, 2025; 17(7): 107486 Published online Jul 28, 2025. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i7.107486
Advances in radiation protection related to pediatric chest computed tomography examinations
Qing-Ting Sun, Yi-Han Fan, Bao-Hui Liang
Qing-Ting Sun, Yi-Han Fan, Bao-Hui Liang, School of Medical Imaging, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Sun QT wrote the minireview; Fan YH and Liang BH reviewed and edited the minireview; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by the Key Natural Science Project of the Anhui Provincial Education Department Under, No. KJ2021A0746.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bao-Hui Liang, PhD, School of Medical Imaging, Bengbu Medical University, No. 2600 Donghai Road, Bengbu 233000, Anhui Province, China. 0800093@bbmu.edu.cn
Received: March 28, 2025 Revised: April 19, 2025 Accepted: June 26, 2025 Published online: July 28, 2025 Processing time: 122 Days and 23.8 Hours
Abstract
With the rapid development of computed tomography (CT) technology, the widespread use of CT examinations in the evaluation of chest diseases in pediatrics has raised extensive concerns about radiation issues. This review first systematically summarizes the factors influencing radiation dose (detector, tube voltage, tube current-time product, field of view, and reconstruction algorithms) in pediatric chest computed tomography examinations. Methods to reduce radiation dose are also discussed, including the utilization of filters, automatic tube current modulation, automatic tube voltage selection, and organ dose modulation. Finally, the methods for individualized radiation dose calculation in pediatric chest CT examinations: effective dose, CT dosimetry software, Size-Specific Dose Estimate, and the Monte Carlo method are reviewed. Radiation exposure reduction is a multifaceted issue. This review aims to provide an optimal scanning scheme for pediatric chest CT from different perspectives.
Core Tip: Chest computed tomography (CT) is a common examination for diagnosing diseases in pediatrics, providing accurate clinical evidence, but is also a source of radiation exposure. In terms of optimizing dose, the selection of CT scan parameters is challenging and relies upon individual characteristics. This review summarizes multiple factors affecting CT radiation dose (detector, tube voltage, tube current-time product, field of view, and reconstruction algorithms), and introduces CT technologies that reduce radiation dose. Methods for dose calculation, including effective dose, CT dosimetry software, size-specific dose estimate, and the Monte Carlo method are also discussed.
