Automatic dose tracking – on site experience

Full text: In Bulgaria, like in all developed countries, medical exposure is the main source of technogenic population exposure above natural background levels. In contrast to the personnel exposures, in the medical exposure the dose limits are not applied. Therefore, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommends establishing the dose limits or recommended levels for the patients exposure which to serve as a reference point for the optimization of the performed procedures. The aim of the paper is to present a new kind software solution designed to provide automated collection of quantitative dosimetry data for patients undergoing multidetector CT (MDCT). The tasks arising from this aim are related to analysis, an additional statistical processing and interpretation of the results obtained in optimizing the protocols for testing and improving professional practice. Radiation protection in medical exposure should always be considered in conjunction with the benefits of diagnosis and treatment, and therefore comes to the fore the requirement for quality assurance of diagnostic and therapeutic process. Automatic tracking of dose and module for further analyzes allow a proper assessment of the practice, a good compromise between image quality and received dose as well as the achievement of the basic principles of radiation protection ALARA - reducing of radiation exposure to a reasonable minimum