DRL-curves for paediatrics GI-tract radiography and voiding cystourethrogram

The Euratom directive 97/43 and the Belgian Royal Decree of July 20, 2001 impose today the application of the ALARA principle in particular also in rooms for paediatric radiology. Within this framework, a dose study is started to assess the patient doses for three common paediatric procedures and to set some preliminary dose ref-erence levels (DRL). For upper GI-tract radiography, lower GI-tract radiography and voiding cystourethrogram exposure-parameters (kVp, mAs), dose-parameters (DAP-value) and patient related parameters (age and weight) were registered for at least 100 patients. Because all three procedures are fluoroscopy guided, also fluoroscopy-time was registered. For lower GI-tract radiography and voiding cystourethrogram there is a linear relationship between DAP and fluoroscopy-time and there is an exponential relationship between DAP and patient weight. For upper GI-tract no such relations exist. For this procedure patient cooperation has a dominating influence. For lower GI-tract radiography and custourethrogram it was possible to set DRL-curve.