Purpose or learning objective
Eurosafe Imaging launched in 2019, a Working Group (WG) on “Dosimetry for imaging in clinical practice” with the aim to suggest realistic approaches to fulfil the dosimetric aspects required by the European Directive 2013/59/EURATOM.
It was considered relevant to identify the priorities for the dosimetric aspects and a restricted survey between the experts involved in the WG was carried out.
The different options suggested by the experts were considered to get a final consensus with several recommended actions to help in the implementation the Directive....
Methods or background
The topics considered as the most relevant needing an European consensus, were:
1. Information on radiation exposure for patients;
2. Individual optimisation;
3. Accidental and unintended exposures;
4. Dosimetric trigger levels for some individual procedures;
5. Comparison with Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs);
6. Role of dose management systems (DMS);
7. Dosimetric information for practitioners and the referrers.
Results or findings
Information on radiation exposure for patients
The Art. 58.b of the European directive 2013/59/EURATOM states that Member States shall ensure that information relating to patient exposure forms part of the report of the medical radiological procedure.
The WG arrived to this consensus for the information on radiation exposure for patients: “The dose values and units, reported by the X-ray system”.
It was suggested to produce basic educational material for patients informing on the benefit of the procedures and the meaning of these exposure quantities and...
Conclusion
There is a need to use dose management systems (DMS) for the information on patient exposure, including trigger levels for interventional procedures. A close cooperation with the WG on “Dose Management” should be maintained.
It may be appropriate to estimate organ and effective doses for some high dose procedures (informing on the uncertainties for these estimations) for comparison purposes, and to hep in refining the justification criteria and optimisation strategies in the case of recurrent examinations in some groups of patients
Update local DRLs when...
References
ICRP Publication 135: Diagnostic Reference Levels in Medical Imaging. Ann ICRP. 2017 Oct;46(1):1-144. doi: 10.1177/0146645317717209.
Vano E, Frija G, Stiller W, Efstathopoulos E, Granata C, Loose R, Paulo G, Pekarovic D, Sjöberg J, Donoso-Bach L; European Society of Radiology (ESR). Harmonisation of imaging dosimetry in clinical practice: practical approaches and guidance from the ESR EuroSafe Imaging initiative. Insights Imaging. 2020 Mar 30;11(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s13244-020-00859-6.
Frija G, Hoeschen C, Granata C, Vano E, Paulo G, Damilakis J, Donoso L, Bonomo L, Loose R, Ebdon-Jackson S; European...
Personal information and conflict of interest
E. Vaño:
Nothing to disclose
G. Frija:
Nothing to disclose
R. W. Loose:
Nothing to disclose
C. Granata:
Nothing to disclose
G. Paulo:
Nothing to disclose
L. Donoso Bach:
Nothing to disclose
H. Delis:
Nothing to disclose
J. S. Andersson:
Nothing to disclose
D. Pekarovic:
Nothing to disclose
C. Hoeschen:
Nothing to disclose
E. P. Efstathopoulos:
Nothing to disclose
