Toshiba America Medical Systems has introduced Real EC, an automatic exposure control feature designed to minimize radiation dose during CT scans. Real EC is available on the Tustin, CA-based firm's Aquilion and Asteion CT scanners.
Real EC uses the detector signal recorded during the scanogram, the digital projection radiograph used to plan the examination. A graph of the attenuation profile is displayed on the scanner's monitor, and the profile data is used to modify the x-ray tube current (mA) as helical image data is acquired. This allows image noise to be kept constant, according to Toshiba.
By varying the tube current according to patient attenuation, Toshiba says that significant dose reduction -- as much as 40% in some cases -- can be achieved. While applicable to all parts of the body, Real EC should be of particular benefit in pediatric examinations, according to the firm.
Operator options are included to provide control over the image quality and dose balance. High-Quality Mode follows the calculated attenuation profile, Low-Dose Mode allows the operator to further reduce dose by a percentage, and Manual Mode allows the technologist to normalize the attenuation profile to any selected noise level.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersAugust 3, 2001
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Copyright © 2001 AuntMinnie.com
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)