TOWARD NATIONAL CT DIAGNOSTIC REFERENCE LEVELS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: A MULTICENTER REVIEW OF CT DOSE INDEX AND DOSE LENGTH PRODUCT.

This multicenter study evaluated computed tomography dose index volume (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) to contribute to establishing computed tomography (CT) national diagnostic reference levels (NDRLs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Data from 240 patients, who underwent CT head, chest, abdomen-pelvis and urography examinations, were analyzed, including patient age, sex and weight, CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy cm). The proposed DRLs for each examination were calculated as the third quartile. DRLs are proposed using CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy cm) for CT head (67 and 1189, respectively), chest (8 and 302, respectively), abdomen-pelvis (28 and 1122, respectively) and urography (20 and 714, respectively). These values are comparable with the initial NDRLs and published international DRLs. Baseline values for International Radiology Center (IRC) CT DRLs were calculated on frequently performed CT examinations. Implementation of DRL values improves dose optimization based on procedures, scanner type and patient characteristics while maintaining acceptable image quality and diagnostic confidence.