Specification and Acceptance Testing of Computed Tomography Scanners

DISCLAIMER: This publication is based on sources and information believed to be reliable, but the AAPM and the editors disclaim any warranty or liability based on or relating to the contents of this publication. The AAPM does not endorse any products, manufacturers or suppliers. Nothing in this publication should be interpreted as implying such endorsement. ©1993 by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. The Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner Task Group was formed to provide a reference document of suggested procedures for acceptance testing of CT systems for clinical medical physicists. The AAPM first addressed performance testing of CT systems with the publication of AAPM Report No. 1, " Phantoms for Performance Evaluation and Quality Assurance of CT Scanners ". Since publication of Report No. 1 in 1977, CT system designs have evolved and research has improved our understanding of principles and limitations of CT systems. These changes in technology and our understanding of them prompted the formation of this task group. This report is intended to be a source of acceptance testing procedures, as well as an educational tool for those medical physicists whose primary responsibilities lie in areas other than diagnostic imaging. In addition to acceptance testing procedures, the related issues of specification writing and radiation shielding design are also discussed.