S . M . Kabeer et al .: Radioprotection 2024 , 59 ( 3 ), 197 – 202 201
DLP ( mGy . cm )
100 Percentage difference (%)
50
0
-50
-100
UK Canada Australia US Japan Malaysia Egypt Nigeria Kenya India France
-150 Brain Chest Abd-pelvis
Fig . 2 . A comparison percentage between DLP DRLs of some countries with the current median .
Kenya exhibit the highest positive percentage difference at 34.4 %, suggesting elevated DLP levels . In the case of chest CT scans , France once again displays a substantial decrease in DLP , with a difference of �83.2 %, while Nigeria and Kenya show a marked increase of 58.4 %. The pattern persists for abdomen-pelvis CT scans , where France records the most substantial reduction in DLP at �94.2 %, whereas Nigeria and Kenya demonstrate the largest increase at 64.9 %. Negative values signify reduced radiation dose , enhancing patient safety if image quality is preserved . Conversely , positive values indicate higher radiation exposure to patients , potentially improving image quality .
This finding reveals that the median DLP value for brain CT examinations is approximately similar to those obtained in Malaysia and the US but significantly differs from values recorded in some countries such as India , Kenya Egypt and Nigeria ( see Tab . 3 ). It was observed that a median value of DLP for chest CT , which is related to that of the UK , is also present . Notably , the mean scan range for brain CT scans is lower when compared to chest and abdominal-pelvis scans , yet the DLP for brain CT exceeds that of chest and abdominalpelvis . When scrutinizing the DLP for chest CT , our study exhibits substantial differences compared to some countries . In the case of abdominal pelvis , the DLP values obtained in this study closely align with those of Australia and Malaysia but diverge significantly when contrasted with values from some Nigeria , Kenya Egypt , France , and India . These marked differences may be attributed to the relatively low scan range values documented in our study .
4 Conclusion
In this study , we analyzed CTDI vol , and DLP , values from routine CT examinations at SSAMDC . When these values were compared with those from eleven nations � Canada , the UK , the US , Malaysia , Japan , France , Australia , Nigeria , India , Kenya , and Egypt , discrepancies were evident . Specifically , the values diverged from those of the UK , Canada , and the US , yet intriguingly mirrored the metrics from Australia and Malaysia . Recognizing that the dose values align closely with those of Australia and Malaysia , we advocate for subsequent studies to delve into the nexus between image quality as perceived by radiologists and technologists . Furthermore , it would be beneficial to examine the strategies for optimizing scan protocols .
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Management and staff of Sokoto State Advanced Medical Diagnostic Center , Sokoto State Nigeria for providing full support when carrying out this research .
Funding
This research was funded by Universiti Putra Malaysia under Geran Putra Insentif ( GP / GPI-FS 9762000 ).
Conflicts of Interest The authors disclose that they have no conflict of interests .
Data availability statement All relevant data are included in the study .
Author contribution statement
The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows : study conception and design : Conceptualization , MKAK ; Formal analysis , SMK , SAA ; Investigation , SMK , FKU ; Project administration , MKAK and NAM ; Resources , HHH ; Supervision , MKAK and IK ; Validation , MMAK and NAM ; Visualization , MKAK ; Writing – original draft , HM and SMK ; Writing – review & editing , MKAK .
References
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