Introduction and evaluation of size-specific DLP for radiation dose estimation in CT examinations

The increased utilization of computed tomography (CT) has raised concerns about patient radiation exposure. Effective dose (ED), which requires precise estimation, is crucial for assessing and managing these risks. Traditional ED estimation methods, which are based on the dose-length product (DLP), often lack accuracy due to variations in patient size and anatomy. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of size-specific DLP (SS-DLP), a novel metric that combines the size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) with scan length, to provide a more accurate estimation of radiation exposure from CT examinations. Focusing on adult chest-abdomen-pelvis (CAP) scans, we calculated SSDE and SS-DLP and utilized two simulation tools, Radimetrics and WAZA-ARI, for a detailed analysis. Our findings indicate that SS-DLP is highly correlated with EDs from Monte Carlo simulations, suggesting its reliability. Additionally, SS-DLP showed a moderate reduction in errors based on patient sex and body mass index compared to traditional DLP-based methods. Thus, SS-DLP offers a more accurate and personalized radiation exposure estimate, potentially enhancing patient safety.