Estimation of cancer risks during mammography procedure in Saudi Arabia.

The aims of the present work were to quantify radiation doses arises from patients' exposure in mammographic X-ray imaging procedures and to estimate the radiation induced cancer risk. Sixty patients were evaluated using a calibrated digital mammography unit at King Khaled Hospital and Prince Sultan Center, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia. The average patient age (years) was 44.4 ±â€¯10 (26-69). The average and range of exposure parameters were 29.1 ±â€¯1.9 (24.0-33.0) and 78.4 ±â€¯17.5 (28.0-173.0) for X-ray tube potential (kVp) and current multiplied by the exposure time (s) (mAs), respectively. The MGD (mGy) per single projection for craniocaudal (CC), Medio lateral oblique (MLO) and lateromedial (LM) was 1.02 ±â€¯0.2 (0.4-1.8), 1.1 ±â€¯0.3 (0.5-1.8), 1.1 ±â€¯0.3 (0.5-1.9) per procedure, in that order. The average cancer risk per projection is 177 per million procedures. The cancer risk is significant during multiple image acquisition. The study revealed that 80% of the procedures with normal findings. However, precise justification is required especially for young patients.

CT examination effective doses in Saudi Arabia.

Patient effective doses and the associated radiation risks arising from particular computed tomography (CT) imaging procedures are assessed. The objectives of this research are to measure radiation doses for patients and to quantify the radiogenic risks from CT brain and chest procedures. Patient data were collected from five calibrated CT modality machines in Saudi Arabia. The results are from a study of a total of 60 patients examined during CT procedures using the calibrated CT units. For CT brain and chest, the mean patient effective doses were 1.9 mSv (with a range of 0.6-2.5 mSv) and 7.4 mSv (with a range of 0.5-34.8 mSv) respectively. The radiogenic risk to patients ranged from between 10-5 and 10-4 per procedure. With 65% of the CT procedure cases diagnosed as normal, this prompts re-evaluation of the referral criteria. The establishment of diagnostic reference levels (DRL) and implementation of radiation dose optimisation measures would further help reduce doses to optimal values.