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Published on: September 11, 2011
Assessment of computed tomography radiation doses for paediatric head and chest examinations using paediatric
1Department of Radiological Sciences, Applied Medical Sciences College, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Radiation doses from pediatric CT scans in Saudi Arabia were assessed. While head CT doses were acceptable, chest CT doses for infants exceeded international guidelines, indicating a need for dose optimization and standardization.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiology
- Radiation Protection
Background:
- Computed tomography (CT) scanner advancements necessitate radiation dose assessment for patient safety.
- Minimizing radiation exposure risk is a critical area of research in medical imaging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and analyze radiation doses from pediatric head and chest CT examinations in Najran, Saudi Arabia.
- To compare estimated doses with international benchmarks and assess cancer risks.
Main Methods:
- Utilized three pediatric phantoms (1-, 5-, and 10-year-old) across thirteen CT scanners.
- Measured volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) for head and chest examinations.
Main Results:
- CTDIvol for head scans ranged from 6.56 to 41.12 mGy; for chest scans, 0.292 to 11.10 mGy.
- Lifetime Attributable Risk (LAR) for cancer was estimated between 0.02-0.16% per 500 children.
- Chest CT doses for one-year-old phantoms exceeded international dose reference levels (DRLs).
Conclusions:
- Head CT doses were generally within recommended dose reference levels (DRLs).
- Chest CT doses for the youngest age group surpassed international DRLs, highlighting the need for optimization.
- Significant variations in CT doses indicate a need for standardization in radiation practice.
Introduction:
With the rapid development of computed tomography (CT) scanners, the assessment of the radiation dose received by the patient has become a heavily researched topic and may result in a reduction in radiation exposure risk. In this study, radiation doses were measured using three paediatric phantoms for head and chest CT examinations in Najran, Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
Thirteen scanners were included in the study to estimate the CT radiation doses using three phantoms representing three age groups (1-, 5-, and 10-year-old patients).
Results:
The volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) estimated for each phantom ranged from 6.56 to 41.12 mGy and 0.292 to 11.10 mGy for the head and chest examinations, respectively. The estimation of lifetime attributable risk (LAR) indicated that the cancer risk could reach approximately 0.02-0.16% per 500 children undergoing head and chest CT examinations.
Conclusion:
The comparison with the published data of the European Commission (EC) and countries reported in this study revealed that the mean CTDIvol for the head examinations was within the recommended dose reference levels (DRLs). Meanwhile, chest results exceeded the international DRLs for the one-year-old phantoms, suggesting that optimisation work is required at a number of sites.
Implications For Practice:
The variation among CT doses reported in this study showed that substantial standardisation is needed.
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