Penulis: Kamarul Amin Abdullah

The heart is a vital organ in the human body. Many people, including young adults, have a high risk of cardiovascular disease today. Using the appropriate imaging examination, heart disease can be detected early through thorough investigation or examination. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is an imaging technique that uses X-rays to examine the blood vessels that surround and supply the heart muscles. The demand for this examination has increased dramatically, exposing the population to a high risk of radiation-induced cancer. Therefore, regular dose optimisation and monitoring are required to ensure that the patient receives a dose that is as low as is reasonably achievable and poses the least risk. However, the process of dose optimisation will necessitate repeated patient scanning and a high radiation dose. Therefore, a particular tool should be used to replace this patient. A phantom is a tool that poses no risk to the radiation. As there are numerous commercially available phantoms, few are suitable for CCTA. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an appropriate phantom to fit the purpose. The use of 3D printing, a key component in the proliferation of the Industry 4.0, has increased dramatically, even in medical applications. Consequently, this book will discuss how this 3D printing technology is utilised for medical applications, particularly in dose optimisation studies. This book will also emphasise the development process and its application in the CCTA examination. The iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms will be used as the main dose reduction strategy to determine if the use of different CT protocols or settings has any effect on the dose. It is hoped that the contents of this book will encourage more researchers to investigate on this technology as well as in other areas of CT examination. Importantly, the patients will benefit as they are the primary focus of any dose optimisation studies.