TAIPEI, TAIWAN (UroToday.com) - Introduction and Objectives: Serial CT scanning for renal calculus disease remains contentious because of concerns about increased radiation exposure above previous established levels. We aimed to quantify contemporaneous radiation exposure with that delivered in the era of IVU.
Methods: We searched our hospital database for all patients who presented to the emergency department over a one-month period (March) in 1990 with a diagnosis of renal colic and compared them with a contemporaneous series. The estimated effective radiation dose exposure for each patient was calculated, and correlated with size and location of calculi.
Results: The average effective radiation dose per patient in the 1990 group, for initial diagnosis and subsequent follow-up, was 4.61 – 2.83 mSv. The average follow-up time in this group was 37.29 days, with a range from 0–122.99 days. The average effective radiation dose per patient in the 2013 group was 4.75 – 2.27 mSv. The average follow-up time in this group was 62.79 days, with a range from 0–171.60 days. Data was also collected on patient length of stay and time to diagnosis. In the 1990 group there was a mean delay to definitive diagnosis which ranged from 0.93–1.92 days.
Conclusions: The estimated effective radiation exposure dose to each patient currently is only marginally higher than in the era of IVU, with improvements in length of hospital stay and time to definitive diagnosis. Improvements in technology and judicious use of CT scanning should continue to lead to reduced radiation exposure in the future.
Source of Funding: None
| Listen to an interview with Dermot O’Kane, one of the authors of this study. |
Presented by Dermot O’Kane,1, 2 T Manning,2 E How,2 J Quinn,3 A Hawes,3 Neil Smith,2 Nathan Lawrentschuk,1 and Damien Bolton1 at the 32nd World Congress of Endourology & SWL - September 3 - 7, 2014 - Taipei, Taiwan
1Austin Hospital Department of Urology, University of Melbourne Department of Surgery, Melbourne, Australia
2Department of Urology, Gold Coast University Hospital, Queensland, Australia
3Faculty of Medicine, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111, Australia
