Precision in Practice: Clinical Indication-Specific DRLs for Head CT for Advanced Personalised Dose Benchmarking.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Physics
• Radiation Protection

Background:

• Computed tomography (CT) of the head is crucial for diagnosing neurological conditions.
• Concerns exist regarding radiation exposure from head CT scans.
• Traditional diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) may not account for clinical indication-specific radiation needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish clinical indication-specific DRLs (DRLCIs) for adult head CT.
• To support precision benchmarking in radiation dose assessment.
• To optimize patient safety in radiological procedures.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study of 378 adult patients undergoing non-contrast head CT scans.
• Data extraction of patient demographics, protocols, and radiation dose metrics (CTDIvol, DLP) using DoseWatch™ software.
• Standardization of protocol parameters across indications like trauma, stroke, headache, seizure, and infection; statistical analysis including correlation.

Main Results:

• Mean CTDIvol ranged from 50.58 mGy (trauma) to 52.90 mGy (infection); DLP ranged from 1052.52 to 1219.98 mGy·cm.
• Narrow percentile distributions indicated effective protocol standardization.
• Strong correlation between CTDIvol and DLP (r=0.89); age and BMI had negligible influence on dose.

Conclusions:

• Established DRLs specific to clinical indications for adult head CT.
• Demonstrated consistent radiation dose delivery with minimal variability across indications.
• Clinical indication-based benchmarking enhances dose optimization and aligns with global radiological protection frameworks.