Diagnostic reference levels in pediatric radiology in Austria

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Pediatric Imaging
• Radiation Dose Optimization

Background:

• Children exhibit heightened sensitivity to ionizing radiation.
• Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are crucial for optimizing patient radiation doses in pediatric radiology.
• Standard radiographic procedures necessitate dose optimization in pediatric imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess radiation doses and dose variations in pediatric X-ray examinations nationwide.
• To establish dose values for common X-ray procedures across different pediatric age groups.
• To compare determined doses with established European, British, and German reference values.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive national survey was performed to collect dose data.
• Dose values were determined for chest, skull, and abdomen X-ray procedures.
• Data were collected for pediatric patients across various age groups: newborns, 1, 5, 10, and 15-year-olds.

Main Results:

• Third quartiles of patient doses were calculated and compared to international DRLs.
• Significant variations in average doses were observed between hospitals, with ratios up to eightfold for similar examinations and ages.
• Individual patient dose variations were considerably higher than inter-hospital average dose variations.

Conclusions:

• While average pediatric radiation doses generally reflect good radiological practice, substantial inter-hospital variations exist.
• Auditing radiation doses against DRLs is recommended to guide optimization efforts in pediatric radiology.
• Implementing these optimization practices is expected to lead to reduced radiation doses for pediatric patients.