EuroSafe Imaging 2019 / ESI-0060
Dose optimization of thoracolumbar spine CT in pediatric emergencies
Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2019
Keywords:
Action 7 - Radiation protection of children, Musculoskeletal spine, CT, Diagnostic procedure, Trauma
Authors:
S. ARSLAN, M. R. Onur, Y. Sarikaya, H. N. ÖZCAN, M. Haliloglu, D. Akata
DOI:
10.26044/esi2019/ESI-0060
Background/introduction
The number of computed tomography (CT) examinations has been significantly increased in recent years (1).
Lower doses in newly manufactured devices and reduced motion artifacts through fast gantry rotation cycle times led to increased utilization of this powerful diagnostic tool in the pediatric population.
Radiation-induced carcinogenesis is generally accepted as a stochastic process.
Children and young adults are more sensitive to the stochastic effects of ionizing radiation because their young bodies undergo rapid cell division (1-5).
Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) have been recommended as an advisory measure to improve optimization of patient protection at CT examinations.
DRLs have been set for common CT examinations using easily measurable dose quantities.
National and European DRL values for head,
thorax and abdomen CT are available in pediatric patients (6).
DRL values for spine CT have not been reported in pediatric patients yet.
Understanding the role of CT acquisition parameters on spine CT radiation dose may be helpful in configuration of low-dose CT protocol in children.
The aim of this study is to show how to achieve dose optimization in pediatric spine CT.