Assessing Effective Doses and Proposing DRLs for Pediatric CT Procedures in Madinah (Single Hospital), Saudi Arabia

This study aims to assess effective radiation doses (EDs) for pediatric computed tomography (CT) procedures in Madinah (single hospital), Saudi Arabia, and propose diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for these procedures. This retrospective study collected data from 600 pediatric patients who underwent five CT procedures. The data were categorized by the type of CT procedure and the age of the patients. EDs and proposed DRLs for the pediatric CT procedures were computed. The highest EDs were found for abdominal (6.3 mSv) and head (4.8 mSv) CT procedures in pediatric patients aged <1 year. DRLs of the CTDIvol and DLP for abdominal and head CT procedures in pediatric patients aged <1 year were 4.2 mGy, 94 mGy.cm and 25 mGy, 414 mGy.cm, respectively. Chest EDs had the lowest EDs among all pediatric CT procedures, with EDs of 1.93, 1.51, 1.91, and 2.05 mSv in patients aged <1, 1 ≤ to < 5, 5 ≤ to < 10, and 10 ≤ to ≤ 15 years, respectively. It can be concluded that optimization is required for abdominal and head CT procedures in pediatric patients aged <1 year. Frequent updates on ED and DRL calculations will help monitor radiation doses and minimize radiation risks for patients undergoing these procedures.