Comparison of doses for pulmonary embolism detection with helical CT and pulmonary angiography

The objective of this study was to compare the radiation exposure delivered by helical CT and pulmonary angiography (PA) for the detection of pulmonary embolism (PE), with an anthropomorphic phantom. A preliminary survey defined a representative standard procedure for helical CT and PA (n=148) by choosing the exposure settings most frequently used. Then, radiation doses were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters TLD 100 (Lif) introduced into the depth of an anthropomorphic phantom. Average doses were approximately five times smaller with helical CT than with PA (6.4+/-1.5 and 28+/-7.6 mGy, respectively). The most important doses were abreast the pulmonary apex for CT, and abreast the pulmonary arteries for PA. Compared with PA, helical CT dose distribution was relatively uniform (10-13 mGy). Finally, concerning abdomen and pelvis, doses were more important for PA than for CT scan (0.06-2.86 and 0.2-11.5 mGy, respectively). For the diagnostics of PE, radiation exposure is five times smaller with helical CT than with pulmonary angiography.