Calculates the radiation output of CT devices as CTDIvol for several manufacturers of CT and scanners (for various parameters of tube current (mA), tube voltage (kV), pitch, and beam collimation) (Data adopted from ImPACT 1.04)
Calculates the radiation output of CT devices as CTDIvol for scanners equipped with tube current modulation (TCM) or automatic exposure control (AEC) techniques (Anam et al. Int J Rad Res. 2018; 16(3): 289-297).
Calculates the effective diameter (Deff) for variations in age, lateral (LAT) diameter, anterior-posterior (AP) diameter, and combined LAT+AP). This feature is similar to previous available calculators. The user only inputs patient data (in the form of patient age, and LAT diameter AP diameter, or a combination of LAT+AP) and the Deff value is immediately obtained (Data adopted from AAPM TG 204)
Calculates the effective diameter (Deff) from a CT image for 2D or 3D, both manually and fully automatically. Manual calculation means that the user performs measurements manually with the line tool on the patient image. Fully automatic calculation means that the Deff value of the patient image is determined without intervention from the user (Anam et al. Adv Sci Eng Med. 2015; 7: 892-896). In fully automatic calculations, the user can also select the diameter at the maximum position, the diameter at the center position, or directly use the cross-sectional area of the patient image (Anam et al. Atom Indonesia. 2017; 43(1): 55-60).
Calculates the water-equivalent diameter (Dw) of CT images for 2D or 3D (manually and automatically) (Anam et al. J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2016; 17(4): 320-333)
Calculates the Dw value for a truncated image that is cut off at the edges. Truncated images are common in clinical applications. IndoseCT is equipped with a correction factor for truncated images (Anam et al. Radiat Prot Dosim. 2017; 175(3): 313-320).
Calculates and displays the Deff and Dw profiles along the longitudinal axis for all images. Deff and Dw calculations for all 3D CT images may require a relatively long computational time. IndoseCT also allows the user to select the number of images to be calculated or use certain intervals (eg images 1, 10, 30, and so on).
Calculates patient dose in terms of size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) from the CTDIvol and Deff (or Dw) values entered by the user, or directly from CT images for 2D or 3D (manually and automatically) (Anam et al. .J Phys Conf Ser. 2016;694:012030).
Calculates the total radiation dose as the metric of dose-length product (DLP), either as standard or corrected by patient size.
Calculates organ doses based on patient size taken directly from patient CT images for various protocols (data and equations adopted from Sahbaee et al. Med Phys. 2014;41(7):072104).
Calculates the effective patient dose based on patient size for various examination protocols (data and equations adopted from Sahbaee et al. Med Phys. 2014; 41(7): 072104).
Extracts some patient data from the DICOM info and stores it in the database. This data storage and processing will be very beneficial for the institution, so that it can manage doses and other data locally, and can take strategic steps related to the application of CT in the institution. This data is relatively small and is stored separately from patient images which require very large storage media.
Analyzes patient dosimetry data and displays it as needed. There are many data options that can be displayed, such as CTDIvol, DLP, Deff, Dw, SSDE profiles, as well as relationships between metrics such as the relationship between Deff and SSDE, or the relationship between CTDIvol and SSDE, and so on.
The development features of IndoseCT 20.b are as follow:
IndoseCT 20.b can be run without having to install the main program (Matlab). Users can directly install or uninstall IndoseCT from the computer easily.
The display of IndoseCT 20.b is very user-friendly so that it is easier to use.
IndoseCT20.b is faster at performing calculations than the previous version.
Access options to open files using folders, while earlier versions only had a file-based option. Opening an image within a folder is faster than as a file. In this case there are no other files in the folder other than the patient image file.
Sample images have been added in the form of anthropomorphic phantom images from the base of the pelvis to the top of the head. These samples are very useful for practice in using IndoseCT.
It has been equipped with several window options to display images with higher contrast between objects, such as soft tissue, bone, and so on.
To move from the image of one slice to another, the arrow keys on the keyboard can be used in this version so that it is more practical.
The image can be zoomed-in, zoomed-out, and shifted using the keyboard.
DICOM info is easy to access. Users sometimes want to access such information, for example information about the field of view (FOV).
A database of scanner types and CTDIvol values for several manufacturers and scanners has been added (Data adopted from ImPACT 1.04 and WAZA-ARI).
There is an option to display tube current profiles, CTDIvol, and SSDE (Anam et al. Information. 2017; 20(1): 377-382)
It has been equipped with an additional option to adjust the CTDIvol value in the TCM technique. For example, for the image taken with the TCM technique the CTDIvol value does not fluctuate with the current, but we have added an option to adjust the CTDIvol value.
In some cases CTDIvol value, may not be contained in the DICOM info, so then other parameters (such as tube current, tube voltage, etc.) can be taken automatically from the DICOM info to calculate the CTDIvol value. With this facility, CTDIvol calculation becomes faster.
Deff calculations have been complemented by options for correcting for the presence of lung (As introduced by Mihailidis et al. Br J Radiol. 2020; 93: 20200473) and bone.
For the calculation of Dw, a new algorithm has been developed to detect the patient’s body as a whole, even though there are several separate parts, for example when there are two patient arms on the thoracic image (Anam et al. J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2021;1-11). This is different from the previous version which only uses the largest patient object selection, so that when there are two patient arms in the thoracic image, only one part is segmented, namely the thorax, while the two arms are not segmented.
For Dw calculations, there is an option to calculate Dw from the entire image (without segmentation) and there is a further option to remove the patient table from the image automatically (Anam et al. Radiat Prot Dosim. 2019; 185(1): 42-49)
For 3D options in the calculation of Deff and Dw, it is equipped with Regional options, so the user can determine the calculated slice, for example calculating the value from the 51st slice to the 100th slice. This is useful for calculating organ doses (Anam et al. J Biomed Phys Eng . 2021)
There is a new size-conversion value option (from CTDIvol to SSDE) for head examinations (Data adopted from AAPM TG 293).
A system has been equipped for calculating dose distribution within a patient (dose-map) and calculating organ doses (Anam et al. J X Ray Sci Med. 2020; 28: 695-708), although the contouring process should be still done manually by the user.
Patient data stored in the database can be deleted easily. It can also be exported to Microsoft Excel easily.
Data stored in databases such as institutional data, vendors, and scanner types, can be mixed with data from various scanners from one institution (hospital) or several institutions for comparison. IndoseCT will differentiate the data and process it according to the needs and preferences of users.
The IndoseCT can display graphs (e.g. SSDE and Dw relationships), and it is equipped with trendline options such as linear equations, quadratic equations, polynomial equations, exponential equations and others.
The displayed graph is equipped with the option to display the average value and standard deviation. The x-axis and y-axis values can be adjusted as needed. Graphics can also be shifted for a more optimal display.
The displayed graph can be saved in various image formats (such as jpeg and bitmap) or exported to Microsoft Excel.
