Jennifer R Marin1, Debapriya Sengupta2, Mythreyi Bhargavan-Chatfield2, Kalpana M Kanal3, Angela M Mills4, Kimberly E Applegate5. 1. Department of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA. 2. Department of American College of Radiology, Reston, VA. 3. Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. 4. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. 5. Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective was to evaluate variation in the current estimated radiation dose index for pediatric cervical spine (c-spine) computed tomography (CT) examinations. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of pediatric (age younger than 19 years) c-spine CT examinations from the American College of Radiology Dose Index Registry, July 2011 through December 2014. We used the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) as the radiation dose estimate and used summary statistics to describe patient and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: There were 12,218 pediatric CT c-spine examinations performed across 296 participating hospitals. Fifty-six percent were in male patients, and 79% were in children older than 10 years. Most hospitals (55%) were community hospitals without trauma designations, and the largest proportion of examinations (41%) were performed at these hospitals. The median CTDIvol was 15 mGy (interquartile range = 9 to 23 mGy) representing a more than 2.5-fold difference between the 25th and 75th percentiles. Pediatric hospitals (both trauma and nontrauma centers) delivered the lowest CTDIvol across all age groups and showed the least amount of variability in dose. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant variation in the radiation dose index for pediatric c-spine CT examinations. Pediatric hospitals practice at lower CT dose estimates than other hospitals. Individual hospitals should examine their practices in an effort to ensure standardization and optimization of CT parameters to minimize radiation exposures to pediatric patients.
OBJECTIVES: The objective was to evaluate variation in the current estimated radiation dose index for pediatric cervical spine (c-spine) computed tomography (CT) examinations. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of pediatric (age younger than 19 years) c-spine CT examinations from the American College of Radiology Dose Index Registry, July 2011 through December 2014. We used the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) as the radiation dose estimate and used summary statistics to describe patient and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: There were 12,218 pediatric CT c-spine examinations performed across 296 participating hospitals. Fifty-six percent were in male patients, and 79% were in children older than 10 years. Most hospitals (55%) were community hospitals without trauma designations, and the largest proportion of examinations (41%) were performed at these hospitals. The median CTDIvol was 15 mGy (interquartile range = 9 to 23 mGy) representing a more than 2.5-fold difference between the 25th and 75th percentiles. Pediatric hospitals (both trauma and nontrauma centers) delivered the lowest CTDIvol across all age groups and showed the least amount of variability in dose. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant variation in the radiation dose index for pediatric c-spine CT examinations. Pediatric hospitals practice at lower CT dose estimates than other hospitals. Individual hospitals should examine their practices in an effort to ensure standardization and optimization of CT parameters to minimize radiation exposures to pediatric patients.
Authors: Jana C Leary; Kathleen E Walsh; Rebecca A Morin; Elisabeth G Schainker; JoAnna K Leyenaar Journal: J Hosp Med Date: 2019-09-18 Impact factor: 2.960
Authors: Saravanabavaan Suntharalingam; Franz Ferdinand Stecker; Nika Guberina; Adrian Ringelstein; Thomas Schlosser; Jens Matthias Theysohn; Michael Forsting; Kai Nassenstein Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-04-06 Impact factor: 3.240