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. 2010 Dec;83(996):1042-51.
doi: 10.1259/bjr/66718758.

Population exposure to ionising radiation from CT examinations in Aosta Valley between 2001 and 2008

P Catuzzo  1 , S Aimonetto, F Zenone, G Fanelli, P Marchisio, T Meloni, M Pasquino, S Tofani
Affiliations

Population exposure to ionising radiation from CT examinations in Aosta Valley between 2001 and 2008

P Catuzzo et al. Br J Radiol. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Recent and continuous advances in CT, such as the development of multislice CT, have promoted a rapid increase in its clinical application. Today, CT accounts for approximately 10% of the total number of medical radiographic procedures worldwide. However, the growing performance of the new CT generations have increased not only the diagnostic opportunities, but also the radiation dose to the patient. The relative contribution to the collective radiation dose is now estimated to be approximately 50%. Several papers have been published concerning the intensive use of CT and its contribution to the collective dose. However, most of the literature concerns the years 1997-2003 and the dosimetric evaluations are generally limited to the main standard protocols (chest, head and abdomen), deriving the effective dose by the simple application of the diagnostic reference levels. Only specific dosimetric analyses of single and innovative procedures have been published recently. Moreover, few data comes from Italian radiology departments. This paper aims to bridge these gaps. Firstly, it characterises in terms of measured CT dose index (CTDI) two last-generation scanners of the Radiological Department of Aosta Hospital. Secondly, it evaluates the effective dose from most of the CT examinations performed from 2001 to 2008 to compare protocols and technologies in line with the suggestions of the 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, Publication 103. Finally, it estimates the collective dose to the population.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Analysis by patient's age of the proportion of CT examinations performed between 2001 and 2008 at the Radiological Department of Aosta Hospital.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of CT examinations performed between 2001 and 2008 on paediatric patients (<10 years) at the Radiological Department of Aosta Hospital.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Analysis by examination type of the number of CT examinations per 1000 population between 2001 and 2008 at the Radiological Department of Aosta Hospital.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histogram of the number of CT examinations per patient between 2001 and 2008 at the Radiological Department of Aosta Hospital.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Histogram of CT examination type performed on the same patient in a year at the Radiological Department of Aosta Hospital, considering only patients that have more than six scans per year.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Histogram of effective dose distribution for all CT examinations performed between 2001 and 2008 at the Radiological Department of Aosta Hospital.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Analysis by examination type of the effective per caput dose between 2001 and 2008 in Aosta Valley.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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