title: Radiation exposure in urology: a genitourinary catalogue for diagnostic imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Computerized tomography use increased exponentially in the last 3 decades, and it is commonly used to evaluate many urological conditions. Ionizing radiation exposure from medical imaging is linked to the risk of malignancy. We measured the organ and calculated effective doses of different studies to determine whether the dose-length product method is an accurate estimation of radiation exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anthropomorphic male phantom validated for human organ dosimetry measurements was used to determine radiation doses. High sensitivity metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor dosimeters were placed at 20 organ locations to measure specific organ doses. For each study the phantom was scanned 3 times using our institutional protocols. Organ doses were measured and effective doses were calculated on dosimetry. Effective doses measured by a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor dosimeter were compared to calculated effective doses derived from the dose-length product.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean±SD effective dose on dosimetry for stone protocol, chest and abdominopelvic computerized tomography, computerized tomography urogram and renal cell carcinoma protocol computerized tomography was 3.04±0.34, 4.34±0.27, 5.19±0.64, 9.73±0.71 and 11.42±0.24 mSv, respectively. The calculated effective dose for these studies Was 3.33, 2.92, 5.84, 9.64 and 10.06 mSv, respectively (p=0.8478).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effective dose varies considerable for different urological computerized tomography studies. Renal stone protocol computerized tomography shows the lowest dose, and computerized tomography urogram and the renal cell carcinoma protocol accumulate the highest effective doses. The calculated effective dose derived from the dose-length product is a reasonable estimate of patient radiation exposure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urologic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Urology, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neisius
authors.forename: Agnes J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Giao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Matvey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsivian
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Kuntz
authors.forename: Gastón M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Astroza
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lowry
authors.forename: Greta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Toncheva
authors.forename: Terry T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Yoshizumi
authors.forename: Glenn M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Preminger
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ferrandino
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lipkin
mesh_terms: D003950:Diagnostic Techniques, Urological / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000592:standards*
keywords: CT; CT dose index; CTDI; CTDI(vol); DLP; ED; ED calculated from DLPs derived from CT console; ED measured with MOSFETs; ED(MOSFET); ED(cal); IVP; KUB; MOSFET; OD; RCC; W(t); computerized tomography; dose-length product; dose-response relationship; effective dose; excretory urogram; metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor; organ specific radiation dose; plain x-ray of kidney, ureter and bladder; radiation; renal cell carcinoma; risk; tissue weighting factor; urology; volume specific CTDI