Tesfaw Ambaye Fisehaw, Dellie Seife Teferi, Legesse Tesfaye Kebede, Gebremedhin Yocabel Gorfu, Seid Abdhjelil Nijamu
Department of Physics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia.
Department of Radiology, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
SAGE Open Med. 2024 Jul 27;12:20503121241266323. doi: 10.1177/20503121241266323. eCollection 2024.
Due to the high sensitivity of their growing tissues to ionizing radiation, pediatric patients are at a greater risk of cancer development.
This study aimed to evaluate the level of radiation exposure experienced by pediatric patients undergoing a common CT examination at the three government hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Structured formats were designed for data collection at three government hospitals, and then information about pediatric patients' demography, CT protocols, and CT systems was retrieved and recorded from March 2018 up to July 2018. CT dose indicators: CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy.cm) values for abdomen, chest, and head CT scans were recorded based on pediatric patients' age ⩽1, (1-5], (5-10], and (10-15] years old. The data were analyzed through SPSS version 25 software. Finally, the third quartile values of CTDIvol and DLP were determined and compared with other international DRLs.
The third quartile values of radiation dose descriptors for abdomen, chest, and head CT scans, respectively, in terms of CTDIvol (mGy): 58, 10, 17, 51; 23, 23, 34, 51; 62, 41, 50, 51; and in terms of DLP (mGy.cm), 377, 314, 624, 664; 523, 571, 406, 739; 927, 806, 929, and 1197 corresponded to pediatric patients of age ⩽1, (1-5], (5-10], and (10-15] years old, respectively.
There were significant differences in the radiation dosage of some CT examinations between the same age groups, indicating a need for dose optimization. Therefore, this study recommends the need for enhancing radiation safety, ensuring appropriate imaging practices, and prioritizing the well-being of pediatric patients who visit CT examinations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
由于儿童生长组织对电离辐射高度敏感，儿科患者患癌风险更高。
本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚亚的斯亚贝巴三家政府医院中接受普通CT检查的儿科患者的辐射暴露水平。
为三家政府医院的数据收集设计了结构化表格，然后从2018年3月至2018年7月检索并记录了有关儿科患者人口统计学、CT检查方案和CT系统的信息。CT剂量指标：根据儿科患者年龄≤1岁、（1 - 5]岁、（5 - 10]岁和（10 - 15]岁，记录腹部、胸部和头部CT扫描的CTDIvol（mGy）和DLP（mGy.cm）值。通过SPSS 25版软件对数据进行分析。最后，确定CTDIvol和DLP的第三四分位数，并与其他国际剂量参考水平进行比较。
腹部、胸部和头部CT扫描辐射剂量描述符的第三四分位数，以CTDIvol（mGy）计，分别为：年龄≤1岁的患者58、10、17、51；（1 - 5]岁的患者23、23、34、51；（5 - 10]岁的患者62、41、50、51；（10 - 15]岁的患者62、41、50、51；以DLP（mGy.cm）计，分别为377、314、624、664；523、571、406、739；927、806、929和1197，分别对应年龄≤1岁、（1 - 5]岁、（5 - 10]岁和（10 - 15]岁的儿科患者。
同一年龄组中某些CT检查的辐射剂量存在显著差异，表明需要进行剂量优化。因此，本研究建议在埃塞俄比亚亚 的斯亚贝巴，需要加强辐射安全，确保适当的成像操作，并优先考虑接受CT检查的儿科患者的福祉。
