Radiation Protection of Patients in Computed Tomography

The use of radiation for medical diagnostic examinations contributes over 95% of human-made radiation exposure and is only exceeded by natural background as a source of exposure to the world's population. In fact, for several developed countries, the increased use of high dose X ray technology, in particular, computed tomography (CT), has resulted in a situation in which the annual collective and per capita doses of ionizing radiation due to diagnostic radiology have exceeded those from natural background radiation. In light of this marked increase in worldwide collective effective dose from medical diagnostic procedures, and with CT scans accounting for half of this, there is great emphasis on the subject of radiation protection of patients in CT