Assessment of computed tomography radiation doses for paediatric head and chest examinations using paediatric phantoms of three different ages

Abstract

IntroductionWith the rapid development of computed tomography (CT) scanners, the assessment of the radiation dose received by the patient has become a heavily researched topic and may result in a reduction in radiation exposure risk. In this study, radiation doses were measured using three paediatric phantoms for head and chest CT examinations in Najran, Saudi Arabia. MethodsThirteen scanners were included in the study to estimate the CT radiation doses using three phantoms representing three age groups (1-, 5-, and 10-year-old patients). ResultsThe volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) estimated for each phantom ranged from 6.56 to 41.12 mGy and 0.292 to 11.10 mGy for the head and chest examinations, respectively. The estimation of lifetime attributable risk (LAR) indicated that the cancer risk could reach approximately 0.02–0.16% per 500 children undergoing head and chest CT examinations. ConclusionThe comparison with the published data of the European Commission (EC) and countries reported in this study revealed that the mean CTDIvol for the head examinations was within the recommended dose reference levels (DRLs). Meanwhile, chest results exceeded the international DRLs for the one-year-old phantoms, suggesting that optimisation work is required at a number of sites. Implications for practiceThe variation among CT doses reported in this study showed that substantial standardisation is needed.