Optimization of protocol in computerized tomography scans of children's chest

The diffusion of the Computed Tomography (CT) has promoted a significant increase of the dose absorbed by patients. This technique showed a high growth as a result of clinical cases of medical emergencies, neoplasia and pediatric traumas. The risks of stochastic effects are greater for children due to tissue radiosensitivity coupled with longer life expectancy. In the present work, a cylindrical simulator was used, representing an adult thorax made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and a second simulator object of the same material was developed in oblong format including the axillary regions, based on the dimensions of the patient's thorax one-year-old pediatric population. The scanning on the adult simulator object was performed with the chest radiograph diagnostic service with a 120 kV supply voltage and in the pediatric simulator object were performed optimized scans with 120, 100 and 80 kV. This work compared the dose variation absorbed by the pediatric simulator object mentioned by the change in the tube supply voltage