Author(s)

Clémence Alla Takam¹, Odette Samba^1,2, Aurelle Tchagna Kouanou^1,3*, Daniel Tchiotsop⁴, Eddy Fotso Kamdem¹, Emilienne Guegang⁵, Emmanuel Fongang⁵

¹Unité de Recherche de Matière Condensée d’Electronique et de Traitement du Signal (URMACETS), Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
²Service de Radiothérapie, Hôpital Général de Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroo.
³Department of Research, Development, Innovation and Training, InchTech’s, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
⁴Unité de Recherche d’Automatique et d’Informatique Appliquée (URAIA), IUT-FV de Bandjoun, Université de Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
⁵Service de Radiologie et d’Imagerie Médicale, Hôpital Général de Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Background and Objective: Nowadays, Computer Tomography is one of the best radiological imaging technics which can give right diagnostic information, among the detection of multiphasic adenomas, the detection of cardiac, cerebral and vascular abnormalities. Although these good qualities, this technic is too radiant for the patient. In this paper, we based on the irradiation doses delivered from the current protocols to find a practical method of their optimization during the pediatric cranial scan. Materials and Methods: This work relies on a collection of data from patients in the hospitals, so that analyze them, give the conclusions and, propose an optimal practical method to decrease the irradiation doses. To collect data, we performed a prospective study of seventeen months (from December 2017 to May 2019) carried out simultaneously in three hospitals of the city: The Centre Medical la Cathédrale (H₁), the Yaoundé Central Hospital (H₂) and the Yaoundé Gyneaco-Obstetric and pediatric hospital (H₃). This study included a total of 192 cases of cerebral trauma, of which 11 cases excluded for incomplete information. The dosimetry quality control (CTDIvol) using the PMMA phantoms of 16 cm and 32 cm fulfilled. The scanographic parameters of the patient acquisition protocol were recorded and analyzed. Some of those parameters were modified and entered the CT with the help of a biomedical engineer to reduce the delivered dose. The relationship between CTDIvol and kV is statistically significant (p < 0.05) to identify significant differences in obtained results before and after the optimization of protocols. Results: Among patients, 172 are boys, and the remaining 9 are girls all were in the 0 to 15 age group. CTDIvol values varied from 34.2 mGy to 107.8 mGy and PDLs from 107.8 mGy.cm to 2214.5 mGy.cm in H1. In H2, CTDIvol varied from 5.8 mGy to 44 mGy and PDLs from 91.4 mGy.cm to 665.5 mGy.cm. CTDIvol varied between 9.34 mGy to 92.81 mGy and PDLs from 162.38 mGy.cm to 2713.67 mGy.cm in H3. All values are taken at 75th percentile, with or without contrast injection. Conclusion: The implementation of the optimization of protocols requires the display of the CT parameters to use and to respect during the traumatic brain tests. With displaying and respecting protocol, the CTDIvol decreased by almost 50 per cent.

Computed Tomography, Dose Optimization, Pediatric Cranial Scans, Protocol

Takam, C. , Samba, O. , Kouanou, A. , Tchiotsop, D. , Kamdem, E. , Guegang, E. and Fongang, E. (2019) Dose Optimization in Computer Tomography Pediatric Cranial Scans. Open Journal of Radiology, 9, 181-193. doi: 10.4236/ojrad.2019.94017.