Feasibility of ultra-low radiation dose reduction for renal stone CT using model-based iterative reconstruction: Prospective pilot study

Purpose: To compare dose, reader assessments, and noise between ultra-low-dose (ULD) and low-dose (LD) renal stone computed tomography (CT) using multiple reconstruction methods. Materials and methods: Prospective study of 19 patients having noncontrast LD and ULD renal stone CT reconstructed using filtered back projection, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). Dose, noise measurements, and subjective image assessments were recorded. Results: ULD volume CT dose index was 61% less. Noise was 50% less with ULD MBIR than with LD ASIR (P<.001); no other significant differences existed. Conclusion: ULD MBIR is comparable to our standard of care, LD ASIR, with 61% lower dose and 50% less noise.