National guidelines for dental diagnostic imaging in the developmental age
This document aims to support the dental professional in choosing the adequate diagnostic technique, minimising the radiation dose in observance of the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle (7). This principle states that the biological cost can only be justifed when the beneft, that is, the diagnosis, outweighs the risk related to radiation exposure. In this guideline paper, we report recommendations for radiologists, medical physicists, paediatrician, dentists and maxillofacial surgeons, with reference to the specifc felds.
CT exposure in adult and paediatric patients: a review of the mechanisms of damage, relative dose and consequent possible risks.
An increase has been observed not only in the absolute number of CT examinations but also in the length of coverage and number of scanning phases, with the result that exposure to ionising radiation from CT is becoming an increasingly serious problem. The extent of the problem is not entirely known and cannot be adequately addressed without proper knowledge of all the phases that leads to the effective dose calculation. In light of the growing awareness of the issue of ionising radiation dose and the possible risk for the individual and the population, there is a need for radiologists, medical physicists and radiographers to play an active role in dose management. In this review, the author…
Adult exposures from MDCT including multiphase studies: first Italian nationwide survey.
To evaluate the radiation dose in routine multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) examinations in Italian population.This was a retrospective multicentre study included 5,668 patients from 65 radiology departments who had undergone common CT protocols: head, chest, abdomen, chest–abdomen–pelvis (CAP), spine and cardiac. Data included patient characteristics, CT parameters, volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) for each CT acquisition phase. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and a multi-regression analysis was used to outline the main factors affecting exposure.The 75th percentiles of CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy cm) for whole head were 69 mGy and 1,312 mGy cm…
Radiation dose from multidetector CT studies in children: results from the first Italian nationwide survey
Background Multidetector CT (MDCT) scanners have con- tributed to the widespread use of CT in paediatric imaging. However, concerns are raised for the associated radiation exposure. Very few surveys on radiation exposure from MDCT studies in children are available. Objective The aim of this study was to outline the status of radiation exposure in children from MDCT practice in Italy. Materials and methods In this retrospective multicentre study we asked Italian radiology units with an MDCT scanner with at least 16 slices to provide dosimetric and acquisition param- eters of CT examinations in three age groups (1–5, 6–10, 11– 15 years) for studies of head, chest and abdomen. The dosi- metric…