(Thursday, 8/2/2018) 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room: Room 207
Purpose: To characterize the impact of implementing thickness-based protocols for pediatric portable radiography performed in both pediatric and non-pediatric hospitals.
Methods: Previously, we constructed a database to monitor technique factors (e.g. kVp, mAs) used by technologists in our pediatric hospital for portable abdomen radiography. Part thickness was measured for each patient, and techniques were designed to produce a specific target exposure index for five ranges of abdomen thickness. We have since implemented these techniques as defaults across our institution. In this work, we investigate the resulting trend in exposure index (EI) across patient size for exams in both our pediatric hospital and adult hospitals, which occasionally image children. A comparison of EI data acquired before and after implementation of thickness-based protocols is performed.
Results: Following the implementation of thickness-based protocols, variability in EI was greatly reduced for pediatric exams performed in our adult hospitals. The incidence of overexposure has also been substantially reduced. Median EI values are now more consistent between adult and pediatric hospitals.
Conclusion: Thickness-based pediatric radiography techniques help to ensure consistent and appropriate exposure factors, particularly for non-pediatric technologists.
Keywords
Radiography, Digital Imaging, Dose
Taxonomy
IM- X-ray: Digital radiography (DR and CR)
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