Local Diagnostic Reference Levels for Common Adult Computed Tomography Procedures in Addis Ababa.

Background: Computed Tomography has become the major source of population exposure in diagnostic x-rays. This concerned issue will be resolved by stetting Local Diagnostic Reference Levels.

Objectives: The main objective of this study is to assess dose indicators for the establishment of Local Diagnostic Reference Levels.

Materials and methods: A prospective cross-sectional study design was conducted on 8 public and private hospitals performing CT examinations. A total of 725 adult patients who underwent abdominopelvic, chest, and head CT examinations were evaluated from October 2021 to March 2022. Patients' demography, exposure parameters, and dose descriptors were collected. The minimum, maximum, mean, median, and third quartile values were analyzed using SPSS software version 26. Finally, the third quartile values of collected data were compared with national and international values.

Results: The third quartile values obtained from median of volumetric computed tomography dose index (mGy) and dose length product (mGy.cm) which are considered as local DRLs for head, chest, and abdominopelvic CT examination, respectively, were 53 mGy, 14 mGy and 13 mGy; 1307 mGy.cm, 575 mGy.cm, and 932 mGy.cm.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that practices of CT imaging in both public and private hospitals in Addis Ababa were comparable to other national and international values.