Establishing paediatric diagnostic reference levels using reference curves - A feasibility study including...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging Physics
• Radiological Protection
• Pediatric Radiology

Background:

• Establishing accurate diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) is crucial for optimizing radiation doses in pediatric medical imaging.
• Traditional methods using weight groups may require extensive data collection, posing challenges for low-frequency examinations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To derive Regional Diagnostic Reference Levels (RDRLs) for pediatric conventional X-ray and CT examinations using weight-based DRL curves.
• To compare the efficacy of weight-based DRL curves against DRLs derived from traditional weight groups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 1722 examinations across 29 hospitals in four countries.
• Derived DRL curves using an exponential fit with weight as the independent variable for conventional X-ray and CT examinations.
• Compared derived DRL curves with national diagnostic reference level (NDRL) curves and DRLs from weight groups.

Main Results:

• The derived weight-based DRL curves demonstrated similarities with available NDRL curves.
• The curves corresponded well with DRLs derived from weight groups when sufficient data were present.
• Weight-based DRL curves proved feasible and comparable to weight group DRLs.

Conclusions:

• Weight-based DRL curves are a viable and practical approach for pediatric radiation dose assessment.
• DRL curves offer a significant advantage in clinical settings by enabling faster dose comparisons with fewer data points.
• This method is particularly beneficial for low-frequency examinations where establishing group-specific DRLs can be time-consuming.