Radiation dose of coronary CT angiography with a third-generation dual-source CT in a "real-world" patient population.

• Submillisievert radiation dose coronary CT angiography with good diagnostic image quality is feasible in the majority of cases in a real-world patient using high-pitch spiral. • Prospective sequence results in about double median effective dose compared to the high-pitch protocol. • To optimize individual radiation exposure, lowering the heart rate is paramount, as it allows for choosing a dose-optimized (high-pitch spiral) scan protocol.