OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the concepts of CT radiation dose optimization and process control, discusses how to achieve optimization and how to verify that it is consistently accomplished, and proposes strategies to move toward large-scale application. CONCLUSION: CT dose optimization is achieved when the least amount of radiation necessary is used to achieve adequate image quality. The key to consistent optimization is minimization of unnecessary variation. This minimization is accomplished through local process control mechanisms.
OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the concepts of CT radiation dose optimization and process control, discusses how to achieve optimization and how to verify that it is consistently accomplished, and proposes strategies to move toward large-scale application. CONCLUSION: CT dose optimization is achieved when the least amount of radiation necessary is used to achieve adequate image quality. The key to consistent optimization is minimization of unnecessary variation. This minimization is accomplished through local process control mechanisms.