The Effect of Scan Length on Effective Dose in Emergency Brain CT Scans in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

The most significant source of human-made radiation is the radiation generated by techniques used in medicine nowadays. This study aimed to investigate the necessity of repetition of brain CT scans due to trauma in pediatric patients aged 0-6 in the emergency department, evaluate the adequacy of scan lengths, and assess the effect of the presence of a hand in the field of view on effective dose. Fifty-nine patients were evaluated in the study. Patients who underwent scanning beyond the vertex-C2 interval were recorded to have excessive scan length. Secondly, the presence of another person's limb (such as a hand) in the field of view to keep the patients for CT was recorded. Four groups were formed according to these parameters: group 1 (appropriate scan length, no hand), group 2 (appropriate scan length, hand present), group 3 (excessive scan length, no hand), group 4 (excessive scan length, hand present). The rate of images with non-diagnostic quality was determined to be 13.56%, and 54.34% had scan lengths longer than optimal. There was a statistically significant difference between groups in terms of ED1 and ED2 (p=0.033, p<0.001, respectively). Mean dose values were found to be higher compared to the literature. The analysis of ED values showed that excessive scan length increased the ED, whereas presence of a hand in the field of view did not show a significant difference. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that dose optimization in children is not optimally achieved in our hospital. These findings emphasize the importance of controlling radiation dose in this sensitive patient group.