Dose-Tracking Software: A Retrospective Analysis of Dosimetric Data in CT Procedures

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiological Sciences
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Increasing use of ionizing radiation in medical imaging necessitates robust patient radiation protection measures.
• Italian legislation (D.Lgs 101/2020) mandates patient exposure information in radiological examination reports.
• Effective dose monitoring systems are essential for collecting and analyzing patient dosimetric data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the performance and identify critical issues in radiation dose monitoring software used in diagnostic procedures.
• To compare patient radiation doses from computed tomography (CT) protocols against Italian nationwide diagnostic reference levels (DRLs).
• To evaluate CT acquisition settings for protocol optimization and radiation dose reduction.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of dosimetric data from DoseWatch and Gray Detector software at Antonio Cardarelli Hospital.
• Evaluation of volumetric CT Dose Index (CTDIvol) and dose-length product (DLP) for multiphase CT examinations.
• Calculation of 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles for CTDIvol and DLP distributions, compared with Italian DRLs.

Main Results:

• The study identified critical issues in the data acquisition and recording phases of dose monitoring software.
• Analysis allowed for the determination of dose distributions and comparison with Italian DRLs for various CT protocols.
• Evaluation of CT acquisition settings provided insights for protocol optimization and potential dose reduction strategies.

Conclusions:

• Dose monitoring systems enable accurate analysis of radiation doses across different equipment and protocols over time.
• Continuous use of dose tracking software is required for effective radiation dose optimization.
• Findings support implementing actions on scan parameters and prospective data analysis for improved patient safety.