Purpose Over the last decade@ there have been numerous improvements in fundamental CT technology that reduce radiation dose and increase image quality. With the recent introduction of nonlinear reconstruction algorithms@ however@ many traditional metrics used to characterize image quality are insufficient for assessing performance of these algorithms. Nonlinear algorithms pose a challenge for performance evaluation because their effects can depend on the acquisition technique and test object itself. Therefore@ assessing the tradeoff between dose reduction and image quality requires more advanced techniques than with previous CT technology. This white paper is intended to give a broad range of stakeholders (including regulators@ radiologists@ medical doctors@ CT technologists@ and medical physicists) an overview of the current techniques and tools (phantoms) that the Medical Imaging Technology Alliance (MITA) has utilized to assess low-contrast detectability (LCD) as a function of radiation dose. MITA would like to recognize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration??s (FDA) partnership with industry in this activity.