[Analysis of the difference in CT radiation dose between children's specialized hospitals and general hospitals]

Objective: To analyze the differences in pediatric CT radiation dose and scanning parameter Settings between children's specialized hospitals and general hospitals, and to provide reference for the optimization strategy of pediatric CT radiation dose. Methods: From July to August 2022, a stratified sampling method was used to select 7 comprehensive hospitals and 2 children's hospitals in Tianjin, and on-site survey was conducted to collect the dose data of children's head, chest, and abdomen and pelvic CT examinations in these hospitals. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to analyze the differences in CTDI(vol) and DLP of the same age group and examination site among different types of hospitals, and the stepwise regression analysis method was used to analyze the effects of age, examination site, and scanning parameters on radiation dose CTDI(vol) and DLP. Results: The CTDI(vol) and DLP of head (1-<5, 5-<10, 10-<15 years old group), chest (5-<10, 10-<15 years old group) and abdomen (1-<5, 5-<10, 10-<15 years old group) in children's specialized hospitals were lower than those in general hospitals (head, 1-<5, 5-<10, 10-<15 years old group, CTDI(vol): Z=-9.32, -6.17, -9.86, P<0.001, DLP, Z=-4.41, -4.14, -5.76, P<0.001; chest, 5-<10, 10-<15 years old group, CTDI(vol): Z=-3.84, -5.35, P<0.001, DLP, Z=-3.59, -4.63, P<0.001; abdomen, 1-<5、5-<10 and 10-<15 years old group, CTDI(vol): Z=-7.88, -7.78, -8.53, P<0.001, DLP, Z=-7.24, -5.92, -3.44, P<0.001). The CT radiation dose in children was positively correlated with age, tube voltage, tube current time product and scan length, and negatively correlated with pitch and hospital type (general hospital and children's hospital) . Conclusion: There are some differences in the CT radiation dose and scanning parameters between children's hospitals and general hospitals. The results indicate that there is still much room for improvement in the optimization of radiation dose in pediatric CT examination.