Optimization of radiation dose for CT detection of lytic and sclerotic bone lesions: a phantom study.

• A CTDI volof 3.4 mGy, in association with high iterative reconstruction level, provides suitable image quality for the detection of lytic and sclerotic bone lesions, both at objective and subjective analysis. • Compared with the standard protocol, radiation dose can be reduced up to 74% for the lumbar spine and pelvis. • A task-based image quality assessment using  the detectability index represents an objective method for the assessment of image quality and bridges the gap between complex physical metrics and subjective image analysis.