The establishment of computed tomography diagnostic reference levels in Portugal

The aims of this study were to investigate the frequency of Portuguese computed tomography (CT) examinations, identify protocol application and establish diagnostic reference levels (DRLs). CT departments (n=211) were surveyed nationally (June 2011-January 2012) and CT protocol information and dose...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation protection dosimetry 2014, Vol.158 (3), p.307-317
Main Authors: Santos, Joana, Foley, Shane, Paulo, Graciano, McEntee, Mark F, Rainford, Louise
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Portugal
Radiation Dosage
Radiometry - methods
Reference Standards
Risk
Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods
Tomography, X-Ray Computed - standards
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Summary:The aims of this study were to investigate the frequency of Portuguese computed tomography (CT) examinations, identify protocol application and establish diagnostic reference levels (DRLs). CT departments (n=211) were surveyed nationally (June 2011-January 2012) and CT protocol information and dose data were collected, as were retrospective age-categorised paediatric CT data from three national paediatric centres. The proposed national CT DRLs (CTDIvol) for adults were 75, 18, 14, 18, 17, 36, 22, 27 and 16 mGy for head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, cervical, dorsal, lumbar and joints, respectively. The levels for paediatric head and chest examinations were as follows: 48 and 2 mGy (newborns), 50 and 6 mGy (5 y olds), 70 and 6 mGy (10 y olds) and 72 and 7 mGy (15 y olds). A limited number of current paediatric protocols aligned to recommended international age categorisations. Portuguese DRLs were generally higher than European recommendations, suggesting potential for optimisation. The need for greater standardisation of age-categorised paediatric protocols was identified.
ISSN:0144-8420
1742-3406
DOI:10.1093/rpd/nct226