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Patient doses in paediatric CT: feasibility of setting diagnostic reference levels
H Järvinen1, K Merimaa, R Seuri
1Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, STUK, PO Box 14, FI-00881 Helsinki, Finland. hannu.jarvinen@stuk.fi
Radiation Protection Dosimetry
|July 26, 2011
Summary
Setting pediatric diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for computed tomography (CT) requires collecting patient dose data by age or weight. DRLs for pediatric chest CT should be a curve based on weight, while head CT DRLs can use age groups.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiology
- Radiation Protection
Background:
- Doses to pediatric patients from computed tomography (CT) examinations are a significant concern.
- Limited data and studies exist for establishing pediatric diagnostic reference levels (DRLs).
- This highlights a critical gap in radiation safety protocols for children undergoing CT scans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate radiation doses to children from chest and head CT examinations.
- To investigate the feasibility of establishing DRLs specifically for pediatric CT.
- To provide recommendations for practical implementation and future re-evaluation of pediatric DRLs.
Main Methods:
- Dose estimation for pediatric patients undergoing chest and head CT scans.
- Analysis of patient dose data considering different CT scanners.
- Grouping of data by age or weight, and potentially by indication, for DRL setting.
Main Results:
- Patient dose data from diverse CT scanners should be stratified by age or weight groups for DRLs.
- A continuous DRL curve as a function of patient weight is proposed for pediatric chest CT.
- DRLs for pediatric head CT can be defined for specific age groups.
Conclusions:
- Establishing pediatric DRLs for CT is feasible with appropriate data stratification.
- Practical implementation requires awareness of calibration phantom details for pediatric protocols.
- Regular re-evaluation (every 2-3 years) of pediatric DRL feasibility is recommended.
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