Evaluation of Exposure Index Values for Conventional Radiology Examinations: Retrospective Study in Governmental Hospitals at West Bank, Palestine

Abstract

In the digital radiology system, radiologic technologists (RTs) can choose imaging parameters to include kVp and mAs. The RTs received feedback after acquisition of an image in the form of Exposure Index (EI). The aim of the current study was to check if the EI values are within the range values recommended by the manufacturer (MREI) for radiological examinations that include the chest, abdomen, pelvis, spine, and extremities. Data was collected from 3,000 adult X-ray examinations taken from several government hospitals in Palestine. The information included patient gender, kVp, mAs, EI values, and examination time. All examinations included in the study used the grid. While the study excluded all images that contained an implant or prosthesis. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyze the data, while the Mann–Whitney U test was used to detect statistically significant differences, P < 0.05. Some examinations showed the EI values outside the MREI ranges. The EIs in the chest AP examination were higher in the female group than males while other examinations have no difference between males and females. The EIs out of working hours were higher than in working hours, especially in the chest (P <0.0001), abdominal (P <0.0001), pelvic (P =0.02), and spine (P =0.0005) exams. In the summary, it has been proven that some of the examinations are outside the MREIs, with differences between the patient gender and the time of the examination. The retrospective study for the exposure index is very important in reducing the risk of radiation to patients.