Establishment of Typical Dose Reference Level (DRL) Values for Adult Patients Undergoing Computed Tomography in Three Hospitals in Brazzaville, Congo Republic

Guy Blanchard Dallou (Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville-BP 69 (Congo) Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et Applications, Institut National de Recherche en Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Brazzaville-PB 2400 (Congo))
Philippe Ondo Meye (Direction Générale de la Radioprotection et de la Sûreté Nucléaire, Ministère de l'Energie et des Ressources Hydrauliques, Libreville- BP 1172 (Gabon) Laboratory of atomic, molecular and Nuclear Physics, Department of Physics, University of Yaounde,)
Joël Bazoma (Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville-BP 69 (Congo) Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et Applications, Institut National de Recherche en Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Brazzaville-PB 2400 (Congo))
Clobite Bouka Biona (Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville-BP 69 (Congo) Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et Applications, Institut National de Recherche en Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Brazzaville-PB 2400 (Congo))
Saïdou Saïdou (Laboratory of atomic, molecular and Nuclear Physics, Department of Physics, University of Yaounde, Yaounde-812 (Cameroon) Nuclear Technology Section, Institute of Geological and Mining Research, Yaounde-4110 (Cameroon))
Germain Hubert Ben-Bolie (Laboratory of atomic, molecular and Nuclear Physics, Department of Physics, University of Yaounde, Yaounde-812 (Cameroon))

Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Natural Science
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2024): Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Natural Science

The present study aimed at to establish typical dose reference level (DRL) values for adult patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) examinations in three hospitals in Brazzaville, Congo Republic. The examinations considered were head, chest, abdomen-pelvis, chest-abdomen-pelvis and lumbar spine CT scans. For each examination, the median of the distribution for the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose-length product (DLP) were determined. The median values were considered as the typical DRL values. Hypothesis testing was also carried out to statistically compare the mean values obtained for each participating CT facility. In the case of head scan, the typical values proposed in the present study in terms of CTDIvol and DLP were 15–48% and 28–60% lower than the DRL values reported in the literature, respectively. In the case of lumbar spine, the typical value determined in this study in terms of DLP was 48–70% greater than the DRL values provided in the literature. The typical values proposed for chest, abdomen-pelvis and chest-abdomen-pelvis were within the DRL values reported in the literature. It is possible that the adoption of the typical values proposed in the present study will help in reducing the dose received by adult patients undergoing CT examination in Congo Republic.