Diagnostic reference levels and patient doses in computed tomography examinations in Greece

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present a national survey that was performed in Greece for the establishment of national Dose Reference Levels (DRLs) for seven common adult Computed Tomography (CT) examinations. Volumetric computed tomography dose index and dose-length product values were collected from the post-data page of 65 'modern' systems that incorporate tube current modulation. Moreover, phantom dose measurements on 26 'older' systems were performed. Finally, the effective dose to the patient from a typical acquisition during these examinations was estimated. The suggested national DRLs are generally comparable with respective published values from similar European studies, with the exception of sinuses CT, which presents significantly higher values. This fact, along with the large variation of the systems' dose values that were observed even for scanners of the same type, indicates a need for further patient protection optimisation without compromising the clinical outcome.