Toshiba's Aquilion 64 CT scanner
meets MITA's new dose requirements.
(Courtesy Toshiba America Medical Systems).
meets MITA's new dose requirements.
(Courtesy Toshiba America Medical Systems).
MITA introduces new Smart Dose CT standards
March 19, 2013
by Nancy Ryerson, Staff Writer
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) introduced new standards for CT dose management last week, important ramifications that some major OEMs said they have already integrated into their offerings.
The new Smart Dose standards, XR-29, include four dose management tools that help physicians monitor and control dose. One requires dose information to be recorded and saved in a patient record for easy access and monitoring. Another requires preloaded parameters on a CT system for adult and pediatric protocols that can be set for a particular task, like scanning an abdomen.
Automatic Exposure Controls, another standard, automatically adjusts the amount of radiation with predetermined bounds to achieve the desired image quality. CT Dose Checks alert physicians when dose oversteps established boundaries.
Siemens Healthcare and Toshiba America Medical Systems sent announcements soon after the MITA release describing their CT equipment offerings that already meet the latest MITA standards. The Toshiba Aquilion CT systems and the Siemens Somatom CT product line both include the latest dose management features that MITA prescribes.
GE Healthcare released a statement saying: "We strongly support the new MITA Smart Dose standards, which parallel GE Healthcare's low dose efforts and represent another tool to help physicians and healthcare providers optimize dose and implement best practices for patient care."
The XR-29 standard is the fourth in a line of dose standards that MITA has released since 2010 in an effort to increase dose awareness and reduce exposure.
"Above all, the medical imaging team that includes the manufacturers of imaging equipment are committed to putting the patient's safety, health and welfare first," said Dr. Marilyn Goske of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and chair of the Image Gently campaign in a press release. "The approval of this new CT standard represents another important step forward in ensuring patients, particularly children, have access to the safest, most advanced technology available."
The new Smart Dose standards, XR-29, include four dose management tools that help physicians monitor and control dose. One requires dose information to be recorded and saved in a patient record for easy access and monitoring. Another requires preloaded parameters on a CT system for adult and pediatric protocols that can be set for a particular task, like scanning an abdomen.
Automatic Exposure Controls, another standard, automatically adjusts the amount of radiation with predetermined bounds to achieve the desired image quality. CT Dose Checks alert physicians when dose oversteps established boundaries.
Siemens Healthcare and Toshiba America Medical Systems sent announcements soon after the MITA release describing their CT equipment offerings that already meet the latest MITA standards. The Toshiba Aquilion CT systems and the Siemens Somatom CT product line both include the latest dose management features that MITA prescribes.
GE Healthcare released a statement saying: "We strongly support the new MITA Smart Dose standards, which parallel GE Healthcare's low dose efforts and represent another tool to help physicians and healthcare providers optimize dose and implement best practices for patient care."
The XR-29 standard is the fourth in a line of dose standards that MITA has released since 2010 in an effort to increase dose awareness and reduce exposure.
"Above all, the medical imaging team that includes the manufacturers of imaging equipment are committed to putting the patient's safety, health and welfare first," said Dr. Marilyn Goske of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and chair of the Image Gently campaign in a press release. "The approval of this new CT standard represents another important step forward in ensuring patients, particularly children, have access to the safest, most advanced technology available."