Assessment of the Radiation Exposure and Cancer Risks of Disabled People Undergoing Different Computed Tomography Scans

Abstract

The usage of radiological investigations is increasing rapidly in Saudi Arabia. It has been estimated that 7.1% of the populace in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is disabled. Out of 32.94 million citizens, 1,445,723 (52.2% males and 47.8% females) millions are considered disabled. Disabled individuals are frequently undergoing medical imaging procedures, and there are not enough studies regarding the risk of radiation exposure to disabled patients from these machines. This study aims to quantify the frequency of medical procedures and estimate the collective dose for disabled individuals to predict the overall cancer risk from medical exposure. A total of 108 computed tomography (CT) procedures were carried out for disabled patients. The procedures include the brain, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and cervical spine. A 128-slice CT machine was used in this study Philips Ingenuity (Philips, Netherlands). The CT machine is subjected to regular quality control tests to ensure compliance with national recommendations. In this study, 108 [11 (10.2%) females and 97 (89.8%) males] CT procedures were carried out for disabled patients at the radiology department, King Khalid Hospital and Prince Sultan Center. The average and standard deviation radiation dose per CT procedure [DLP (mGy.cm)] for the brain, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and cervical spine were 1183.4 ± 187, 352.8 ± 88, 654 ± 73, 803 ± 800, and 527 ± 186, respectively. The estimated cancer risk is 1 cancer per 1000 to 10,000 CT procedures. Patient doses are comparable with those of previous studies carried out for normal patients. However, the protection of disabled patients from unnecessary radiation exposure is crucial to reduce the projected radiation risks and minimize the number of repeated CT scans and unproductive radiation exposure.