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Establishment of facility diagnostic reference levels for computerized tomography of head, chest and abdomen investigations
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A. Saeed Shah   , Gh. Ghaus Shah , U. Siddique Umer , H. Abid |
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Abstract: (39 Views) |
Background: The Computed Tomography is a major contributor to patient radiation exposure in diagnostic radiology. This study aimed to establish facility-specific CT Diagnostic Reference Levels for head, chest and abdomen examinations to optimize radiation doses while maintaining diagnostic image quality. The diagnostic reference levels serve as benchmarks to enhance radiation protection by adjusting scanning parameters. The establishment of facility diagnostic reference levels provide a base line for future dose reduction strategies. Materials and Methods: Adult patient data for head, chest, and abdomen scans were collected from the facility’s 128-slice CT scanner. The facility volumetric computed dose index and dose-length product data was recorded on Microsoft excel sheet. The first, second and third quartile values were determined, and the facility diagnostic reference levels were established as the third quartile of the median volume CT dose index and dose-length product values for head, chest and abdomen examination. Results: The determined median volumetric computed dose index for head, chest and abdomen was 41.9 mGy (IQR: 41.9-46.35 mGy), 29.5 mGy (IQR: 28.3-29.5 mGy) and 29.5 mGy (IQR: 29.5-42.98 mGy) respectively. The corresponding median dose-length product values were 810mGy·cm (IQR: 768.5-931.6 mGy·cm) for head, 1220 mGy·cm (IQR: 1031.45-1312.9 mGy·cm) for chest, and 1694.5 mGy·cm (IQR: 1529.68–2247 mGy·cm) for abdomen. Conclusion: The study findings support the development of local and national benchmarking databases for CT radiation doses. The evaluated F facility diagnostic reference levels provide a base line for future dose reduction strategies used for standardization and radiation doses optimization in CT imaging. |
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| Keywords: Optimization, computed tomography, dose reference levels, volumetric computed dose index, dose length product. |
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Full-Text [PDF 635 kb]
(4 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Short Report |
Subject:
Radiation Biology
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