Diagnostic reference levels (DRL) in Computed Tomography during the period 2018-2022 in a private hospital in Chile
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15392/2319-0612.2024.2445Keywords:
diagnostic reference levels, Computed Tomography, OptimizationAbstract
The aim of this study was to compare and optimize the diagnostic reference levels (DRL) of our institution obtained over 5 years, in order to find the appropriate balance between the patient dose and the quality of the clinical image for the most frequently used CT examinations.The typical values of 6 CT scanners of an institution were evaluated, taking as a reference the DRLs established in 2018. An optimization process was initiated in order to find the best balance between dose- diagnostic quality, finding that the DRLs obtained during that year were well below those published by the ACR, so we proceeded to prioritize the quality of the image by reasonably increasing the doses to the patient. In 2022, we purchased other patient dose monitoring software and got new optimized DRLs.The results obtained from the typical values of 2018 versus 2022 had a difference of 25% to 30%, with the DRLs of 2022 being higher as we were looking for, finding a significant improvement in the quality of the diagnostic images. The medians obtained are within what is published internationally, which is an indicator that our DRLs are within international standards.This research helped our CT Service considerably to obtain typical values with excellent quality of diagnostic images, and to standardize the protocols for all our CT scanners despite being of different brands and technology.
Downloads
References
UBEDA DE LA C., Carlos et al. Niveles de referencia para diagnóstico: Una herramienta efectiva para la protección radiológica de pacientes. Revista chilena de radiología, v. 25, n. 1, p. 19-25, mar. 2019. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-93082019000100019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4067/S0717-93082019000100019
UNITED NATIONS. Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionizing Radiation, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation 2020/2021 Report: Scientific Annex d - Evaluation of Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation. [S. l.]: United Nations Environment Programme, 2022. ISBN 9789211392098.
PLOUSSI, Agapi et al. Local diagnostic reference levels in pediatric CT examinations: a survey at the largest children’s hospital in Greece. The British Journal of Radiology, v. 93, n. 1116, p. 20190358, 1 dez. 2020. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20190358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20190358
ICRP - International Commission on Radiological Protection. The 2017 Diagnostic Reference Levels in Medical Imaging. ICRP Publication 135. Annals of the ICRP, v. 46, n. 1, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146645317717209
WANG, Kenneth C. et al. Use of Radiology Procedure Codes in Health Care: The Need for Standardization and Structure. RadioGraphics, v. 37, n. 4, p. 1099-1110, jul. 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.2017160188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.2017160188
ACR - American College of Radiology. 2017 ACR Tomography Computed Quality Control.
KANAL, Kalpana M. et al. U.S. Diagnostic Reference Levels and Achievable Doses for 10 Adult CT Examinations. Radiology, v. 284, n. 1, p. 120-133, jul. 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2017161911. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2017161911
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Licensing: The BJRS articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/