Utility of lower tube voltage scans in reducing exposure of healthcare workers within computed tomography room to scattered radiation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of tube voltage on the scattered dose in a computed tomography (CT) room. To this end, we conducted experiments using anthropomorphic phantoms and a CT scanner at different tube voltages during CT. The scattered dose was measured using an electronic pocket dosemeter at 50-cm intervals from the centre of the gantry. The structure of the CT room was measured at 57 points (28 points in the front of the gantry (on the bed side), 6 points on the side of the gantry and 23 points behind the gantry) to be up to 200 cm. We compared the scattered dose distributions between 80 and 120 kVp at heights of 50, 100 and 150 cm above the floor surface. The scattered dose was reduced by ~30% when the tube voltage was reduced from 120 to 80 kVp.