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An inter-hospital comparison of patient dose based on clinical indications

European Radiology volume 17, pages 1795–1805 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Patient dose is usually estimated for a single radiographic projection or computed tomography (CT) series. In this study, patient dose was calculated for predefined clinical indications (24 radiography, 11 CT). Members of the radiology staff of each of 11 hospitals were trained in dose measurement and calculation techniques. Based on clinical indications participants decided on imaging protocols and calculated cumulative effective dose for a complete examination. Effective dose ranged from <1 μSv to 0.6 mSv for examinations with radiographs and from 0.2 to 12 mSv for CT scans. Differences in the imaging protocols contributedd to a substantial variation in patient dose. For mammography, average glandular dose (AGD) was estimated for 32-, 53- and 90-mm compressed breast thicknesses, with a median value of 0.74, 1.74 and 3.40 mGy, respectively. The results presented here demonstrate that a pragmatic choice of dosimetry methods enables local staff to estimate effective dose. The inclusion of imaging protocols in the dose surveys provided a broader view on the variations in patient dose between hospitals.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by ZorgOnderzoek Nederland, project no. 1630-0004. The authors would like to thank Bianca Alsemgeest, Marinka van Asselt, Edwin van Harn, Willy Hummel, Matthijs Huttinga, Rinke Kattenberg, Martin Kuikman, Michael Melis, Arjen van der Most, Willem Rasenberg, Kees Roscher, Enouschka Schleurholts, Wouter Stam, Lamberta Wielinga, Nienke vd Zee, Rintje Zijlstra and Luc Zwart for their enthusiastic participation.

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  1. Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Postbus 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands

    W. Teeuwisse, J. Geleijns & W. Veldkamp

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  1. W. Teeuwisse
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  2. J. Geleijns
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  3. W. Veldkamp
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Correspondence to W. Teeuwisse.

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Teeuwisse, W., Geleijns, J. & Veldkamp, W. An inter-hospital comparison of patient dose based on clinical indications. Eur Radiol 17, 1795–1805 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-006-0473-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-006-0473-1

Keywords

  • Average glandular dose
  • Computed tomography
  • Clinical indication
  • Dosimetry
  • Effective dose