Effects of Scout Direction, Off-Centering, and Scout Imaging Parameters on Radiation Dose Modulation in CT

Simple Summary In computed tomography (CT), automatic exposure control (AEC) typically determines radiation exposure based on scout images, which are projection images obtained for CT planning. This experimental study demonstrated that the CT radiation dose determined by AEC varied with the scout imaging direction (posteroanterior, lateral, or both), vertical positioning of the imaging object, and scout imaging parameters. The influences of these factors depended on the imaging object and the AEC software version. The off-center correction incorporated into the new version was demonstrated to function appropriately and to contribute to a reduction in radiation dose from scout imaging.