Feasibility study for the evaluation of doses received by organs during medical exposure for pediatric patient undergoing CT scan and estimation of the potential risk of radiation-induced cancers

Abstract

Computed Tomography (CT) continues to contribute a significant portion of the total collective dose delivered to the public from medical procedures involving ionizing radiation. Children are considered to be at higher risk of developing radiation induced cancer due to the young age of exposure and increased tissue radio sensitivity. Organ dose estimation is essential for pediatric patient cancer risk assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the excess risk of radiation induced cancer following exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation from pediatric CT scans.We collected information from Radiation Dose Structured Report (RDSR) in 2 radiology department for 3 protocols and three (3) different age group in pediatric CT scan.We estimated the excess of cancer risk by using the Radiation Risk Assessment Tool RadRAT). For that, we calculate first the organ doses with National Cancer Institute for CT (NCICT). Effective dose and Size Specific Dose Estimate were also estimated, CTDI and DLP recorded from the RDSR were compared by the ones given by the software. The doses received by 30 organs including both inside and outside the scanning range were calculated and compared for the different age groups and protocols.The excess risk observed here range between 0.6 and 10.1‰ for respectively the thorax and Abdomen protocol in boy's cohort. This can be due to the significant dose variability observed among radiological protocols defined for the same CT scan and patient of the same age. For a head examination, a ratio of 2–4, depending on the age of the child, is estimated between the maximum and minimum doses delivered to the brain. For the other types of examination, this ratio is even greater: around 9 for chest examinations, 16 for abdominopelvic explorations.Careful justification of pediatric CT scans and dose optimization should be available in hospitals to minimize risks.