Radiation exposure and dose reduction measures in cardiac CT

Noninvasive visualization of the heart by CT is highly accurate and useful, but its association with ionizing radiation and the potential risk of cancer induction has raised concerns. Dose-saving algorithms, new CT scanners, and scanning techniques have been developed to effectively reduce the amount of radiation exposure without deterioration of image quality. Furthermore, additional strategies for dose reduction can be pursued in daily practice following the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle. However, there still is a high additional dose-saving potential in a consequent application of dose reduction measures, and we recommend individually adapted scan protocols to obtain cardiac CT studies with optimal diagnostic image quality and lowest possible radiation dose.