Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2019
Keywords:
Action 2 - Clinical diagnostic reference levels (DRLs), Action 6 - Clinical audit tool for imaging, Action 7 - Radiation protection of children, Paediatric, Plain radiographic studies, Radiation safety, Quality assurance
Authors:
R. Seuri, A. Rintala, M. Kortesniemi, A. Lajunen, S. Savolainen
DOI:
10.26044/esi2019/ESI-0037
Conclusion and recommendations
Challenges in establishing DRLs for scoliosis
- Variation of patient sizes: weight,
thickness ...
- Great variation in dose levels
- *different techniques (DR,
CR,
fluoroscopy)
- *variation in the use of grid
- *variation in the use of AEC / fixed parameters by age or weight
Solution: DRL-curve model
- To overcome problems concerning traditional DRL values in paediatric examinations (low number of patients in different size groups) a DRL curve was calculated
- An exponential DRL curve was fitted so that approximately 75% of the data points were below the curve
DRL-curve by patient weight
- 75% curve as the traditional DRL-level
- 50% curve serving as an "achivable dose level"
- With the wide variation of collected doses,
25% level in this case represents the level achievable with the most modern technique
Conslusions
- Observed wide variation in dose levels shows the need for reference levels to help in optimization and vice versa
- In addition to patient weight and dose information,
dose collections should include detailed recording of the technique
- *type of equipment
- *use of grid
- *method of optimization (AEC,
by patient weight,
age,
...)