Justification of Unnecessary Pediatric Computed Tomography Examinations

Abstract Background The clinical value of computed tomography imaging for the diagnosis of pediatric disease is unquestionable. However, Inappropriate or unskilled use may result in unnecessary exposures. Hence, a computed tomography involving the exposure of a patient to ionizing radiation must be both justified and optimized. Objective The primary goal of this research was to evaluate the revalue of applying justification to Computed Tomography requests in avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure in pediatric patients. Methods Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at three government hospitals from March 2018 to July 2018 G.C. All pediatric patients who were ≤ 15 years years of age with available CT request forms were evaluated for justification of radiation doses. Data were recorded by using structured format. The collected data were checked for completeness, edited, coded, and entered into Social Science (SPSS) version 25 software for data analysis. Results out of 381 pediatric patients sent for computed Tomography imaging. Seventeen (17) request forms had more than one anatomical region. Therefore, a total of 398 distinct anatomical CT requests were received. Of these, 225 (59.1%) were males and 156(40.9%) were females. A review of previous studies was sufficient to provide needed information in 23 (6%) cases. In 21 (5.5%) patients magnetic resonance imaging was recommended instead of computed Tomography. 20.7% of pediatric patients (79 out of 381 patients) were protected from unnecessary radiation exposure by using principle of justification Conclusions Our research demonstrates that a significant amount of unnecessary radiation exposure can be reduced from paediatric patients using principle of justification