In a medical imaging breakthrough, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientist has found a way to reduce a patient’s exposure to radiation without compromising quality of the scans.

Dr Xiaoming Zheng, a senior lecturer in medical radiation science at CSU’s School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, has developed a formula to guide the dose of radiation used in X-ray computed tomography, known as a CT scan.

A CT scan produces a number of images during a 360-degree rotation, so the radiation dose is higher than for other scans.

“There’s growing concern about the potential health impacts of accumulated X-ray exposure over time,” Dr Zheng said.

Dr Zheng’s mathematical equation sets parameters that radiologists can use to determine the optimal dose.

He is also applying his research to X-ray imaging and believes this could halve the dose of radiation.

“This is a major contribution to radiation science that could fundamentally change the way we approach medical X-ray imaging,” he said.

“It has the potential to significantly reduce radiation doses to patients across the world.”

Read more about Dr Zheng’s study here. Story credit: CSU newsroom

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