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Diagnostic reference levels in paediatric fluoroscopy: how does a secondary referral centre compare with 2018
Emily Ashworth1, Liam Woods2, J Valmai Cook2
1St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road, Tooting, London, United Kingdom.
Objectives:
To compare diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in paediatric fluoroscopy at a secondary referral centre with 2018 European guidelines. Secondly, to compare secondary referral centre DRLs for paediatric fluoroscopy examinations not included in European guidelines with 2010 national UK DRLs.
Methods:
Paediatric fluoroscopy studies were grouped by age (groups: 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 years) for examination type and analysed retrospectively, over a period of 14 years. DRLs were compared with European DRLs (micturating cystourethrograms (MCUs)) and 2010 UK national DRLs (contrast swallows and meals).
Results:
1,586 studies were performed (49% MCUs; 31% meals; 9% swallows). For all age groups, DRLs for MCUs were lower than European DRLs by up to a factor 58 x (1 year age group: secondary referral centre DRL 12 mGycm2 vs European DRL 700 mGycm2). For contrast swallows and meals, 75th percentile doses were lower than 2010 UK national 25th percentile doses in all age groups.
Conclusion:
Maintaining low doses of ionising radiation is particularly important in paediatrics, and our study has found that it is possible to achieve low paediatric fluoroscopy doses in a secondary referral centre setting.
Advances In Knowledge:
Our data may prove useful to other centres and could contribute towards future European DRLs.
