MDCT of the coronary arteries : Feasibility of low-dose CT with ECG-pulsed tube current modulation to reduce radiation dose

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to show the feasibility of coronary CT using low kilovoltage (80 kV) combined with ECG-pulsed tube current modulation in selected patients.CONCLUSION. This study showed the combined effect of lowering the kilovoltage setting (80 kV) and using an automatic modulation technique (ECG-pulsed tube current modulation) for coronary CT. Radiation dose exposure can be reduced by up to 88% for slim patients without impairing image quality.