Survey on the distribution of medical imaging frequencies and dose levels for CT examinations in a comprehensive hospital in Shanghai

Abstract With the continuous advancement and clinical application of CT technology, the increasing collective dose burden from CT scans and associated potential health risks have become significant concerns in radiation protection. Current research increasingly focuses on the cumulative effective dose (CED) resulting from multiple CT scans, often revealing patients with high CEDs, even exceeding 100 mSv. However, reports on CEDs from multiple CT scans in China are scarce. Therefore, we investigated the distribution of CT scan frequencies and CEDs at a comprehensive hospital in Shanghai, examining data from 1 October 2022, to 30 April 2024, sourced from the hospital’s radiology information system. The effective dose ( E ) was estimated using conversion factors k and DLP values from Radiation Dose Structured Reports (RDSR). We assessed the number of CT examinations conducted per patient and evaluated the CED over 1.6 years. During this period, 112 339 CT examinations were performed. Significant differences in CT examination frequencies were observed across different age groups and examination regions ( P < 0.01). A total of 78.43% of patients underwent only one CT examination in 1.6 years, while 0.03% had more than 10 examinations, with a maximum of 15. Of the patients, 67.78% (76,142 individuals) received a CED less than 10 mSv, 0.05% (53 patients) received a CED over 50 mSv, and one patient exceeded 100 mSv. In conclusion, this study underscored the necessity of monitoring patients with high CT examination frequencies and CEDs, highlighting the importance of justification and optimization in medical radiation protection.