Patient Dose Optimisation of Abdominopelvic Protocols During X-Ray Imaging

Area of Science:

• Radiological Sciences
• Medical Physics
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Abdominopelvic radiography is common, but patient positioning and digital radiography (DR) pose radiation dose concerns.
• Limited data exists on organ dose evaluation and optimization strategies in Ghana.
• Digital radiography's wide dynamic range can lead to dose creep, complicating dose management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate organ doses in abdominopelvic radiography for both supine and erect positions.
• To develop an optimization strategy to minimize radiation exposure while preserving image quality.
• To address the lack of specific data on dose optimization in Ghanaian clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Organ doses were estimated using CalDose X 5.0 for 112 patients across two facilities.
• Image quality was assessed via signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for key organs (kidney, liver, prostate).
• An anthropomorphic phantom was used with varying exposure parameters and focus-to-detector distances (FDD) to validate dose reduction using thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs).

Main Results:

• An optimization strategy recommended 70 kVp, 10 mAs, and 110 cm FDD for both positions.
• Significant organ dose reductions were observed: supine (e.g., 50.0% for kidney) and erect (e.g., 72.34% for kidney).
• Image quality (SNR) was maintained or improved across optimized organs in both positions.

Conclusions:

• Abdominopelvic organ doses are influenced by patient factors and exposure settings.
• The developed optimization strategy effectively reduces radiation doses while maintaining essential image quality.
• Standardized imaging protocols are crucial for enhancing patient safety and radiation protection in clinical practice.