IAEA survey of paediatric computed tomography practice in 40 countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa: procedures and protocols

Abstract

There is significant potential for improvement in CT practice and protocol use for children in less resourced countries. Dose estimates for young children varied widely. This survey provides critical baseline data for ongoing quality improvement efforts by the IAEA.

Nationwide survey of radiation exposure during pediatric computed tomography examinations and proposal of age-based diagnostic reference levels for Japan

“…Our survey also found that the DLP values for pediatric CT in Japan were higher than in other surveys [8][9][10][11]. The 75th percentile values of the CTDI vol for pediatric CT in our survey were higher than those in the survey conducted by the IAEA [10].…”

“…All age-based 75th percentiles of the CTDI vol values for the head were 1-2 times higher and DLP values for the head were 0.9-1.9 times higher in the Japanese survey than in the other published surveys. The 75th percentile of the CTDI vol values for the chest were 1.4-3.2 times higher and the DLP values for the chest were 1.4-3.8 times higher in the Japanese survey than those reported from the German, Swiss, Thai and French surveys [7][8][9]11] and nearly equal to the results reported for the British and IAEA surveys [6][7][8][9][10]. The 75th percentile of the CTDI vol values for the abdomen were 1.2-2.4 times higher and the DLP values for the abdomen were 1.1-2 times higher in the Japanese survey than in the German, Swiss, Thai and French surveys [7][8][9]11] and lower than in the British and IAEA surveys [6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…In the children group, 17% (164/970), 9% (89/970) and 10% (93/970) were for head, chest and abdominal CT scans, respectively. Tables 3 and 4 show the comparison between CTDI vol and DLP values obtained in the present study with those from other published surveys from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) [6][7][8][9][10]. All age-based 75th percentiles of the CTDI vol values for the head were 1-2 times higher and DLP values for the head were 0.9-1.9 times higher in the Japanese survey than in the other published surveys.…”

Paediatric Doses During Some Common X-Ray Procedures at Selected Referral Hospitals in Tanzania

“…In head CT (Table 9), both CTDI vol and DLP values are comparable with the published data with few exceptions. The results in Table 10 (chest CT) indicate the values in the present study to be higher than the corresponding values from the other studies (10,15) . The differences in the protocols in use and the radiographer's preferences are one of the possible explanations.…”

“…However, such potential optimisation may not apply in 'obstruction' environments where even longer screening times can results. The CT procedures were always performed using tube current modulation and paediatric protocols, practices that can reduce dose without compromising with image quality (10,15) . However, further adjusting user-selectable scan parameters such as the use of appropriate scan length, increasing pitch factor and lowering of tube potential can lead to some dose savings.…”