The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has released XR-29, also known as MITA Smart Dose, a set of four standard attributes of CT equipment that enable optimization or management of radiation dose delivery while also providing high quality medical images. The XR-29 Standard Attributes on Computed Tomography (CT) Equipment Related to Dose Optimization and Management is the fourth dose-related standard to be released by MITA since 2010, preceded by XR-25, XR-26 and XR-27 standards. XR-29 bundles four attributes of CT equipment that currently help physicians and technologists optimize and manage dose. These are:

• DICOM Dose Structured Reporting
• Pediatric and adult reference protocols
• CT Dose Check
• Automatic Exposure Controls (AEC)

The new standard earned kind words from Mary Pastel, PhD, Deputy Director for Radiological Health, Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The FDA values the collaboration and work done by industry and the medical imaging community to promote patient safety,” she stated in the MITA press release. “We also encourage radiology facilities to use equipment safety features and to adopt imaging best practices.”