Background/introduction
Patients undergoing radiological examinations such as radiography or computed tomography (CT) are exposed to ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation can lead to the induction of point mutations in the DNA, chromosomal translocations and gene fusions, which are linked to the induction of cancer [1]. The usage of ionizing radiation in CT and radiography is double-edged: On the one hand, it is aimed for the lowest radiation exposure to reduce the likelihood of developing a radiation-induced tumor. On the other hand, the image quality decreases with decreasing...
Description of activity and work performed
Installation
We installed DoseTrack (SectraMedicalSystems, Sweden) and integrated the system in our picture archive and communication system (PACS, same vendor). Several CT scanners, angiography and fluoroscopy suites and x-ray units were connected to the DMS, which transmit radiation dose structured reports (RDSRs) for further processing in the DMS. Amongst others, RDSRs include information about the examination type, patient characteristics (age, weight), the employed acquisition parameters and exposure data. The examination type, patient age and weight are required to associate the exposure data with the correct...
Conclusion and recommendations
The customization process of a DMS is tedious, especially in larger radiology centers and takes both the participation of medical physicists, radiologists, technicians and the DMS specialists of the vendor. To facilitate the work of a radiation protection group, customization of the DMS is required, especially by means of the investigation status list (this depends very much on the department specialization). Typical additional reasons for exceeding doses other than already provided were patient arms not being elevated due to lacking mobility (in CT), larger scan...
Personal/organisational information
A. Steuwe; Düsseldorf/DE - nothing to disclose O. T. Bethge; Düsseldorf/DE - nothing to disclose J. Boos; Münster/DE - nothing to disclose J. Böven; Düsseldorf/DE - nothing to disclose J. Morawitz; Düsseldorf/DE - nothing to disclose L. M. Sawicki; Düsseldorf/DE - nothing to disclose J. Aissa; Düsseldorf/DE - nothing to disclose G. Antoch; Düsseldorf/DE - nothing to disclose
References
[1] Brenner D J and Hall E J 2007 Computed Tomography — An Increasing Source of Radiation Exposure N. Engl. J. Med. 357 2277–84