Radiation doses in CT examinations from the West China Hospital, Sichuan University and setting local diagnostic references levels

BACKGROUND: Our study aims to summarize the data of radiation doses collected from consecutive CT examinations by using the Radiometrics software and contributing to the establishment of the region’s diagnostic reference levels (DRLs). METHODS: The radiation doses in 158,463 CT examinations performed on 106,275 adults between April 2017 and April 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The median value and interquartile range (IQR) of volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), effective dose (ED), and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) were calculated according to the scanning region. RESULTS: The median CTDIvol (mGy) for each scanning region was 42.3 (head), 6.2 (chest), and 9.0 (abdomen). The median DLPs (mGy.cm) for single-phase, multi-phase, and all examinations were as follows: 607, 794, and 641 for the head; 220, 393, and 237 for the chest; 298, 1,141, and 570 for the abdomen. The median EDs (mSv) for single-phase, multi-phase, and all examinations are as follows: 1.6, 2.6, and 1.8 for the head; 5.1, 8.1, and 5.3 for the chest; 5.8, 20.3, and 10.4 for the abdomen. CONCLUSIONS: Our study’s results could provide a basis for the evaluation of CT scanning radiation dosage and supply evidence for the establishment of local DRLs in China’s Sichuan Province.