Relationship between the tube voltage dependence of cross-sectional absorbed profile and exposed dose of superficial radiosensitive organs

There has been a growing concern regarding exposure to superficial radiosensitive organs with the rapid increase of computed tomography examinations. Manufacturers have been developing various dose reduction methods in order to prevent harm to these organs. Our previous study revealed a unique phenomenon in X-ray computed tomography scanning, in which the maximum absorbed dose position shifts to a deeper region from the surface in a water cylindrical phantom. We considered that this result could be applied as a dose reduction method. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the tube voltage dependence of this unique phenomenon. The results show that the peak dose position shifts to a deeper region with increasing tube voltage. The superficial radiosensitive organs can thus be protected from peak dose exposure by adjusting the tube voltage.