Helen Chen PhD, Presenter: Research grant, Agfa-Gevaert Group

Bruce Spencer PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Julie Maitland, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Liqiang Geng, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Danny D'Amours MSc, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

David A. Koff MD, Abstract Co-Author: Co-founder, Real Time Radiology Shareholder, Real Time Radiology

The dose repository and RMS are a timely first step towards the establishment of a national dose registry. They provide a quantified view of the radiation exposed to patients in existing radiology practices. These measurements aim at achieving optimal protocols that minimizes radiation doses wherever possible.

As the utilization of diagnostic imaging grows, so do concerns regarding the impact of such radiation on human health. A means of measuring the current radiology practices and impact from repeated low-dose radiation exposure on patients is urgently needed. Dose Structured Report Object is the recommended DICOM standard for dose reporting, yet often dose information are captured as screen shot images and stored in various places. This makes dose reporting and benchmarking a laborious process with a significant latency.     

We developed a radiation dose repository and exposure monitoring system. Dose information from six CT scanners in a large medical center are stored either in screen capture images or private DICOM tags. A dose collector tool has been developed to automatically skim dose and relevant information from a study to generate DICOM dose structure report objects which are stored in the dose repository. A suite of web-based radiation monitoring services (RMS) are tailored to the needs of various clinical user populations. RMS supports everyday clinical work practices by providing physicians with cumulative dose estimation and a comprehensive set of benchmark report and visualization tools for radiation monitoring. These tools combine data from clinical sources, radiology guidelines and dose reference levels, based on a semantic model of heterogenous data sources. Integrating such dose repositories with existing PACS or imaging data center is straightforward using standard DICOM procedures.   

We have elicited distinct requirements for Safety Officers and Chief Radiologists. RMS can assist Safety Officers in performing risk assessments by automating the estimated effective and cumulative dose calculation process. RMS enables comprehensive monitoring and benchmarking of radiation procedures and doses.

Chen, H, Spencer, B, Maitland, J, Geng, L, D'Amours, D, Koff, D, A Radiation Exposure Registry with Comprehensive Monitoring Services.  Radiological Society of North America 2011 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 26 - December 2, 2011 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2011/11007846.html