Table 2 Routine X-ray CT quality control testing; daily, monthly and quarterly/annually
From: Understanding the importance of quality control and quality assurance in preclinical PET/CT imaging
Test | Purpose | Frequency | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
CT | Daily procedures | Daily | Follow manufacturer’s recommendations (e.g. tube warm-up) |
CT/PET | Determine co-registration vector of PET and CT field of view | Daily | Check PET and CT image alignment |
CT HUs | Determine CT HUs accuracy | Daily | CT HUs accuracy: water and air and standard deviation (noise) |
CT artefacts | Evaluation of artefacts | Daily | Visual inspection of the water image slices from the CT QC phantom |
CT performance | Check X-ray performance and radiation exposure | Based on national legislation | Follow national legislation guidelines |
CT grey level performance | Check scanner acquisition display monitors | Monthly | Check quality of monitors grey scale for image display (see also Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) test) [48, 49] |