Review of failed CT phantom image evaluations in 2005 and 2006 by the CT accreditation program of the Korean Institute for Accreditation of Medical Image.

OBJECTIVE: The CT accreditation program was established in 2004 by the Korean Institute for Accreditation of Medical Image (KIAMI) to confirm that there was proper quality assurance of computed tomography (CT) images. We reviewed all the failed CT phantom image evaluations performed in 2005 and 2006.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 604 failed CT phantom image evaluations according to the type of evaluation, the size of the medical institution, the parameters of the phantom image testing and the manufacturing date of the CT scanners.
RESULTS: The failure rates were 10.5% and 21.6% in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Spatial resolution was the most frequently failed parameter for the CT phantom image evaluations in both years (50.5% and 49%, respectively). The proportion of cases with artifacts increased in 2006 (from 4.5% to 37.8%). The failed cases in terms of image uniformity and the CT number of water decreased in 2006. The failure rate in general hospitals was lower than at other sites. In 2006, the proportion of CT scanners manufactured before 1995 decreased (from 12.9% to 9.3%).
CONCLUSION: The continued progress in the CT accreditation program may achieve improved image quality and thereby improve the national health of Korea.