Data produced in subtasks 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 will be integrated into a freeware modular software expert system [CT Image Quality and Radiation Dose (CT-IQURAD)] that will provide a) image quality information, b) accurate estimation of patient organ doses and c) estimation of radiogenic risk associated with chest CT examinations performed for several clinical indications.
This tool will be of paramount importance for the determination of the optimal chest CT protocol based on the relation between clinical indication, required image quality and lowest achievable dose. The prototype will be clinically evaluated in the university hospitals participating in subtask 2.1.1. The ‘organ dose and risk estimation’ module can be stand alone or Windows based. This tool will be available by the end of the project for chest CT optimisation. For optimisation of CT examinations on other anatomical areas, further research would be needed using the same methodology.