Samsung Medical Center and Samsung Electronics publish white paper on S-AEC for optimized medical radiation exposure

Samsung Medical Center (SMC) and Samsung Electronics have released a white paper titled "Optimizing Medical Radiation with S-AEC: Clinical Application in Abdominal Imaging," highlighting the benefits of Samsung's Auto Exposure Control (S-AEC) technology in reducing radiation exposure while maintaining high-quality imaging.

S-AEC is an advanced feature integrated into Samsung’s portable digital X-ray systems, which automatically detects anatomical regions requiring dose adjustments and optimizes the radiation dose according to the patient’s body shape.

This ensures consistent image quality even in portable imaging scenarios while minimizing patient radiation exposure, which allows users to focus on imaging without manually adjusting radiation doses for each patient.

As a result, the technology ensures stable and automatic radiation dose optimization in various clinical environments, including hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs), where patient mobility is often limited.

The white paper, with Professor Chung Myung-jin of the Department of Radiology at SMC as the lead author, evaluates the clinical effectiveness of S-AEC using Samsung’s portable digital X-ray system, GM85, for anterior-posterior abdominal imaging.

The study involved 421 patients divided into three groups -- a manual (non-S-AEC) group and two S-AEC groups with different target radiation dose levels. The researchers used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare differences across the groups.

The S-AEC groups were set to target radiation doses of 5 and 3.54 uGy (microgray), respectively, to assess the system’s ability to maintain diagnostic image quality while reducing radiation exposure.

The findings revealed that the exposure index (EI) variation decreased by 60 percent and 55 percent in the two S-AEC groups compared to the manual group, enhancing image consistency. Additionally, the dose area product (DAP) was reduced by 27 percent and 44 percent, respectively, depending on the target radiation dose.

The study confirmed that S-AEC effectively adjusted radiation dose levels according to different patient body types while preserving adequate visualization of organs such as the liver, kidneys, and intestines.

"Abdominal imaging in portable X-ray settings is challenging compared to chest imaging due to lower tube voltage requirements and greater patient body thickness variation,” Professor Chung said. “This study demonstrates that S-AEC can maintain overall image quality while reducing radiation dose by more than 40 percent, which is a meaningful achievement in clinical practice."

Jang Woo-young, head of Samsung Electronics' digital radiography business team, also said, "By implementing S-AEC in portable digital X-ray imaging, we have not only enhanced image quality but also minimized patient radiation exposure, reinforcing patient safety.”

Samsung Electronics remains committed to pioneering new possibilities for effective radiation dose management, Jang added.

This white paper follows the previous research presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA 2024) on the use of S-AEC in chest imaging. The earlier study also demonstrated a 61 percent reduction in EI variation and a 17 percent reduction in DAP when using S-AEC compared to manual settings, further validating its role in optimizing medical radiation exposure.