(MIRD) The medical internal radiation dose committee is the society of nuclear medicine responsible for the internal dosimetry of diagnostic imaging radiopharmaceuticals.

(DRL) The diagnostic reference level is a patient dose-related quantity per x-ray procedure or image. The diagnostic reference level is essentially a guide and the first step in the management of patient doses. Dose descriptors can also be used to compare local doses to national reference doses and reviews of local practice if consistently exceeded.

(LCR) The low contrast resolution describes the ability to discriminate between tissues with slightly differences in attenuation properties. The LCR depends on the stochastic noise.
The low contrast resolution is usually expressed as the minimum detectable size of an image structure, for a fixed percentage difference in contrast relative to the adjacent background.
A strength of computed tomography (CT) is its ability to visualize structures of low contrast in an object, a task that is limited by noise and is closely associated with the radiation dose. For example, a reduction of the dose at constant spatial resolution affects the visibility of structures with low contrast (e.g. vessels in the liver), due to increased noise. The visibility of these low contrast structures can partly be improved by decreasing the spatial resolution, while keeping the dose constant.

See also CT Number, Image Quality and Low Contrast Detectability.

Radiation safety concerns the safe use of ionizing radiation. The radiation exposure has to be controlled to protect people and the environment from unnecessary exposure and the damaging effect to the health. Legal regulations require that radiation exposure (individual radiation exposure as well as collective dose) must be kept as low as reasonably achievable.
The electromagnetic spectrum includes x-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, infrared radiation, and radio waves. Additionally, there are several types of particulate radiation e.g., alpha and beta particles. All types of radiation are used in a wide range of medicine, industry, research and communication. Radiation risks can occur due to either long-term low level exposure or short-term high level exposure. A well-functioning dosimetry program is essential for a safe use and for compliance with federal and state regulations.

Three basic rules have to be observed for a safe use of ionizing radiation.

See also Inverse Square Law, Administrative Dose Guidelines and Annual Dose Limit.

(rem) The rem is the dose equivalent of the absorbed dose considering the biological efficiency of the radiation, also called quality factor. With a quality factor of 1 is 1 rem equal to 1.07185 roentgens. One millirem is one thousandth of one rem.
In the SI system of units the rem is replaced by the sievert (Sv), which is numerically equal to the absorbed dose in gray modified by a radiation weighting factor. The conversion factor has been readjusted from 1 to 1.07185 so that 100 rem are equal to 1 Sv.