Establishing Local Diagnostic Reference Levels and Reference Curves for Thorax and Abdomen-Pelvis Paediatric CT...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Paediatric Imaging

Background:

• Paediatric Computed Tomography (CT) scans pose radiation risks, increasing lifetime cancer risk and mortality.
• Children are especially vulnerable to ionizing radiation effects.
• Managing radiation exposure in paediatric CT is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate local radiation exposure doses in paediatric thoracic and abdominal-pelvic CT exams.
• Establish Diagnostic Reference Level (DRL) curves for paediatric CT.
• Propose local DRLs and compare them with European guidelines (PiDRL).

Main Methods:

• Analysed paediatric thoracic and abdominal-pelvic CT scan data.
• Grouped patient data by weight intervals (5-79 kg).
• Calculated Volumetric Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDIvol) and Dose Length Product (DLP) values; assessed dose-weight relationships using exponential curves.

Main Results:

• Established local DRLs for thoracic CT across weight groups.
• Proposed DRL curves for abdominal-pelvic CT due to limited data.
• Reported specific CTDIvol and DLP values for various paediatric weight categories.

Conclusions:

• Local DRLs for thoracic CT and median doses for abdominal-pelvic CT are generally lower than European DRLs.
• Derived DRL curves serve as effective benchmarks for dose optimization in paediatric CT.
• The study provides valuable data for radiation dose management in children.