A review of factors affecting patient doses for barium enemas and meals

A study of patient doses for barium enema and meal examinations has been carried out for hospitals in the West of Scotland to assess the impact of dose reduction facilities on new X-ray equipment. Dose-area product (DAP) information has been collected on examinations for groups of patients at 20 hospitals and results reviewed together with data on equipment performance measurements. Median DAPs for barium enemas and meals were 15.7 Gy cm(2) and 4.8 Gy cm(2), respectively, and effective doses estimated from the results are 3.5+/-0.7 mSv and 1.5+/-0.5 mSv, respectively. These doses are lower than those reported in earlier studies and in previous surveys in the West of Scotland. The reduction in dose is linked primarily to the low dose facilities available on newer X-ray equipment, such as low dose pulsed fluoroscopy, digital imaging facilities and use of copper filtration. Use of the image intensifier for decubitus images on C-arm units employed for barium enemas also gives a significantly lower dose. Equipment with copper filtration had the lowest doses. The reduction in effective dose will be significantly less than the reduction in DAP for units in which a copper filter is included and the adoption of lower diagnostic reference levels is proposed for units with this facility. It is important that the operators are aware of the low dose imaging options on their equipment in order that techniques can be fully optimized.