Article Sidebar
Published:
Feb 3, 2016Article Details
The author(s) retain copyright on work published by AOSIS unless specified otherwise.
Licensing and publishing rights
Author(s) of work published by AOSIS are required to grant AOSIS the unlimited rights to publish the definitive work in any format, language and medium, for any lawful purpose. AOSIS requires journal authors to publish their work in open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Read more here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The authors retain the non-exclusive right to do anything they wish with the published article(s), provided attribution is given to the applicable journal with details of the original publication, as set out in the official citation of the article published in the journal. The retained right specifically includes the right to post the article on the authors’ or their institution’s websites or in institutional repositories.
Previously published work may have been published under a different licence. We advise the community that if they would like to reuse the work to consult the applicable licence at article level.
Main Article Content
Diagnostic reference levels for paediatric computed tomography
Abstract
Objectives: To establish local diagnostic reference levels (LDRLs) for emergency paediatric head computed tomography (CT) scans performed at a South African (SA) tertiary-level hospital and to compare these with published data.
Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of volume-based CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) data from uncontrasted paediatric head CT scans performed in the Trauma and Emergency Unit of a tertiary-level SA hospital from January to June 2013. A random sample of 30 patients in each of 3 age groups (0–2, >2–5 and >5–10 years) was used. LDRL values were compared with several national DRLs from Europe and Australia.
Results: Mean CTDIvol and DLP values were: 30 mGy and 488 mGy.cm for the 0–2 years age group; 31 mGy and 508 mGy.cm for the >2–5 years group, and 32 mGy and 563 mGy.cm for the >5–10 years group, respectively. The mean DLP for 0–2 year-olds was the only parameter outside the range of corresponding published reference data. Stratification into narrower age groupings showed an increase in DLP values with age.
Conclusion: An institutional review of the head CT scanning technique for emergency studies performed on children less than 2 years of age is recommended. The current study highlights the role of LDRLs in establishing institutional dosimetry baselines, in refining local imaging practice, and in enhancing patient safety. Standard age stratification for DRL and LDRL reporting is recommended.
