Regional survey of pediatric patient doses from CT examinations in Tehran, Iran

摘要

Objectives: To establish regional diagnostic reference levels (RDRLs) for typical paediatric CT examinations in Tehran, Iran and compare them with established international data. In addition, the aim was to develop a method of analyzing local scan parameters for further optimization. Methods: The dose assessment was performed in terms of weighted CT dose index (CTDI_w) and dose length product (DLP) for head, sinus, chest, abdomen and pelvis CT examinations using standard methods. CTDI were measured in a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) Head and Body phantoms. RDRLs were derived from mean survey values for different age categories in 19 CT facilities in Tehran, Iran. Results: The mean range of CTDIw for all age categories were 41.77-53.04,24.37-26.55, 12.45-13.48 and 13.18-18.25 for Brain, Sinus, Chest and Abdomen-pelvis, respectively. Related DLPs were 325.5-495, 181.5-222.7, 143.2-250.6 and 198.5-488.4, respectively. Conclusion: Many hospitals were incorporating adult scanning parameters for children, resulting in very high effective doses. The great variations of CTDI_w and DLP observed among hospitals and relatively high values of DLP in some centers are evidence that radiation doses of Paediatric patients from CT examinations need to be optimized.