title: Patient doses from hybrid SPECT-CT procedures.
abstract: The aim of this work is to estimate patient doses from hybrid single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT) procedures. The study involved all four SPECT-CT systems in Bulgaria. Effective dose was estimated for about 100 patients per system. Ten types of examinations were considered, representing all diagnostic procedures performed in the SPECT-CT systems. Effective doses from the SPECT component were calculated applying the ICRP 53 and ICRP 80 conversion coefficients. Computed tomography dose index and dose length product were retrospectively obtained from the archives of the systems, and effective doses from the CT component were calculated with CT-Expo software. Parallel estimation of CT component contribution with the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) conversion coefficients was performed where applicable. Large variations were found in the current practice of SPECT-CT imaging. Optimisation actions and diagnostic reference levels were proposed.
authors: National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Sofia, Bulgaria s_avramova@mail.bg.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Avramova-Cholakova
authors: Sofia City Cancer Centre, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Dimcheva
authors: University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment 'Alexandrovska', Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Petrova
authors: University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment 'Alexandrovska', Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Garcheva
authors: Specialized Hospital for Active Treatment in Oncology, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Dimitrova
authors: University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment 'St Ivan Rilski', Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Palashev
authors: National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Vassileva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002031:Bulgaria; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000532:radiotherapy; D010282:Parathyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D011874:Radiometry; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012984:Software; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards