PROPOSED NATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC REFERENCE LEVELS FOR STANDARD RADIOGRAPHIC X-RAY PROCEDURES IN SUDAN

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Radiation Protection

Background:

• Patient radiation doses in diagnostic radiology vary significantly.
• Establishing national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) is crucial for dose optimization.
• Conventional X-ray procedures are widely performed, necessitating dose assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To calculate patient radiation doses for common adult X-ray procedures.
• To propose national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on measured data.
• To compare proposed DRLs with existing literature values.

Main Methods:

• Inclusion of a representative patient sample from 29 hospitals.
• Calculation of entrance surface air kerma (ESAK) using X-ray tube output and exposure factors.
• Determination of DRLs using third-quartile values of mean ESAK distributions.

Main Results:

• Proposed DRLs (mGy): Chest PA (0.6), Skull AP (3.5), Skull LAT (1.7), Abdominal (2.7), Pelvic AP (2.6), Lumbar Spine AP (3.7), Lumbar Spine LAT (8).
• Significant increases compared to literature: Chest PA (329%), Skull AP (187%).
• Proposed Chest PA DRL exceeds literature values, indicating potential for dose reduction.

Conclusions:

• National DRLs for common adult X-ray procedures have been proposed.
• Discrepancies with literature, particularly for Chest PA and Skull AP, highlight areas for dose optimization.
• Further review and optimization of DRLs, especially for Chest PA, are recommended to ensure patient safety.