A Nordic survey of patient doses in diagnostic radiology

Abstract

The aim of this study was to test the applicability of the guidance levels for patient doses cooperatively set by the radiation protection authorities in the five Nordic countries. The kerma-area product (KAP) for five conventional radiological examination types was obtained from several hospitals in each of the Nordic countries. The number of radiographic images and fluoroscopy time were also registered, and the mean values for each examination type and hospital were established based on a representative number of patients (40-100 kg). The results indicate that the situation is very similar in the five Nordic countries, even though some differences were identified. Most of the hospitals demonstrated lower doses than the proposed guidance levels for chest, probably explained by use of faster film/screen combinations during the past decade. An increased use of fluoroscopy for positioning was observed for radiographic examinations of lumbar spine and urography. Large variations in patient doses were found for barium enema depending on the use of fluorospot or 100-mm camera vs full-format film, the range in fluoroscopy times, dose rate, and field size. The guidance levels for lumbar spine (10 Gy x cm2), pelvis (4 Gy x cm2), urography (20 Gy x cm2), and barium enema (50 Gy x cm2) seem to reflect the present quality of X-ray equipment and examination techniques in the Nordic countries. The guidance levels for chest (1 Gy x cm2) should be lowered to 0.6 Gy x cm2.

An inter-hospital comparison of patient dose based on clinical indications

“…More recent studies report DAP values for the complete examination of a given anatomical area, however, without differentiation of clinical indication. Table 7 gives an overview of values found in other studies [11][12][13] that we consider to be the best suited for comparison with the results of the present study.…”

Chapter 4 European guidelines for the management of chronic nonspecific low back pain

“…The ionizing radiation associated with one conventional lumbar radiograph is equivalent to that of 15 radiographic examinations of the thorax or the average ionizing radiation experienced from all other sources for 8 months (2 mSV) (Gron et al 2000). This is of particular concern in younger female patients.…”

Cumulative Radiation Dose and Cancer Risk Estimation in Common Diagnostic Radiology Procedures

“…To estimate the collective effective dose, the average number of individuals exposed commonly per day was determined. To calculate the cancer risk probability, the ICRP 103 proposed Equation 1 is as follows (7): (1) Cancer Risk Probability = 0.05 × Collective Effective Dose…”

“…Diagnostic radiology by the use of ionizing radiation plays a main contribution in the collective dose of human population (1,2). Knowing the radiation dose received by the patients during radiologic examination is essential in preventing the excess health risk of exposure (3).…”