Musculoskeletal CT Protocols

These protocols have been developed in accordance with Washington State Department of Health requirements and are specific to each specified CT scanner. CT procedures and protocol review require consultation/collaboration with a medical physicist and the lead interpreting CT physician, or lead CT technologist. The review is to ensure protocols and procedures are “correct with the intended dose and image quality.”

In accordance with the ALARA principle, TRA Medical Imaging policies and protocols promote the utilization of radiation dose reduction techniques for all CT examinations. For scanner/protocol combinations that allow for the use of automated exposure control and/or iterative reconstruction algorithms while maintaining diagnostic image quality, those techniques can be employed when appropriate. For examinations that require manual or fixed mA/kV settings as a result of individual patient or scanner/protocol specific factors, technologists are empowered and encouraged to adjust mA, kV or other scan parameters based on patient size (including such variables as height, weight, body mass index and/or lateral width) with the goals of reducing radiation dose and maintaining diagnostic image quality.

MSK CT Protocols Overview