Aims and objectives
Radiological imaging is an indispensable element of modern medicine,
which is used in diagnosis and treatment.
Notwithstanding the tremendous benefit that these procedures provide to patients,
there is a well-known health risk associated with the use of ionizing radiation in medicine.
This is of particular importance in children,
who are generally more sensitive to radiation exposure.
The diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are one of the main operational tools for optimization of patient protection in radiological imaging.
It has been recommended by the International Commission on...
Methods and materials
The DRLs should be set in terms of the practical dose quantities used to monitor practice.
For radiography,
air kerma - area product and entrance surface air kerma are recommended DRL quantities which are closely similar to Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) and it can be easily estimated by dose area product meter in routine practice.
Radiation protection survey and quality assurance of X-ray installations
The radiation exposure levels during the operation of the radiological equipment were measured for the radiological installation and quality control and...
Results
Radiographic examinations
The entrance surface dose measured for various radiographic imaging procedures are as follows:-
Examination
Name of Machine
No.
of Machines
No.
of Examinations
ESD mGy
Mean
ESD mGy
75th Percentile
ESD mGy
50th Percentile
Chest
ALLENGERS HF
1
684
1.191
1.465
0.8
GME
1
50
EPSILON
1
71
KONICA
1
15
MEDITRONIX
2
50
Abdomen
ALLENGERS HF
1
310
1.34
1.83
1.06
L Spine AP
ALLENGERS HF
1
305
9.32
10.15
8.583
MEDITRONIX
1
60
L Spine Lat
ALLENGERS HF
-do-
305
11.87...
Conclusion
Despite the recommendations and the clear need for DRLs for radiological examinations,
only very few DRL data are available and they are only set in a particular radiological examination or in a small region of the county.
The reasons for this are many-fold: patient dose levels vary considerably as a function of age,
size or weight of the patients and therefore,
DRLs for age,
size or weight groups need to be defined; due to the lack of standardization of these groups,
the comparison of DRLs...
Personal information
Mukesh Jain
M.Sc RT
Department of Radiological Physics
SMS Medical College & Hospitals,
Jaipur,
Rajasthan (India)
Phone +91 141 2762316
Mobile +91 9414771343
Mail ID -
[email protected]
References
1.Billiger,
J.,
Nowotny R.
and Homolka P.
Diagnostic reference levels in pediatric radiology in Austria.
Eur.
Radiol.
(2010),
20: 1572-1579.
2.Born,
M.,
Spiller,
L.,
Bachour,
H.,
Heydweiller,
A.
and Franke,
I.
(2013).
Dose area product of pediatric VCUG with regard to the strongly lowered German diagnostic reference levels.
RöFo : Fortschritte Auf Dem Gebiete Der Röntgenstrahlen Und Der Nuklearmedizin,
185(3),
262–7.
3.Chougule A (2004): Quality Assurance survey of X-Ray Installations in South Rajasthan.
Journal of Medical Physics,
29,
2,
80-83.
4.Chougule A (2004): X-Ray Diagnostic...