Estimation of Effective Radiation Dose for CT Head in Pediatric Patients at UCMS: A Cross-Section Study

Abstract

Introduction: In modern medicine, CT has made tremendous advances, but the use of CT has been accompanied by concerns about patient safety since it delivers higher doses of radiation than most other diagnostic imaging procedures. Children are particularly vulnerable because their rapidly dividing cells are more sensitive to radiation, and they will have more years to undergo cancerous changes. This study aimed to estimate the effective radiation dose received by pediatric patients while having CT heads at UCMS-TH. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Radiodiagnosis & Medical Imaging, UCMS-TH, Bhairahawa, Nepal. Seventy-five pediatric patients were included in this study over five months, from November 2020 to March 2021. The radiation doses were estimated using a convenient technique and data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The average mean age of the participants was 9.85±4.45 years. There were 69.3% males and 30.7% females. The age group 11-15 years had the highest frequency of patients 54.7%, followed by the age group 6-10 years with 24% patients. The mean and standard deviation of CTDIvol, DLP, and ED of NCCT and CECT head were significantly different between males and females throughout the study. Conclusion: In pediatrics, male NCCT head scans had higher ED, whereas female CECT head scans had a maximum ED. The age range of 11-15 years had the maximum ED, followed by the age group of 6-10 years.