Increased Acquisition Speed Settings can Significantly Decrease Patient Dose while Maintaining Imaging Quality during Direct Chest Radiography

Background Chest imaging using direct acquisition technology has reduced dose in comparison to the traditional film screen techniques. This work investigates the potential for further dose reduction through the use of increased exposure class.Aims To compare 400 and 800 speed acquisition on the GE Revolution XQ/i direct radiography system for posteroanterior chest radiography, 30 patients were examined from a population of males and females ages 18-65 years with a body mass index (BMI) of 17-28 kg/m2. Effective doses were recorded for each patient, and image quality was evaluated using anatomical image quality criteria.Results Images acquired at 400 speed were found to have 25% higher image quality than those at 800 speed (P ≤ .001), with an effective dose 55% higher (P ≤ .009). Radiographs of patients with an average BMI of 17-24.9 kg/m2 taken at 800 speed were found to be diagnostically acceptable.Conclusions Radiographs produced at 800 speed on a direct radiography system are acceptable for patients below 25 kg/m2 delivering 55% less effective dose (P ≤ .009) than 800 speed. Patients with a BMI above 25 kg/m2 require 400 speed acquisition.