Purpose: To compare the dose area products of pediatric VCUG in daily practice with the dramatically reduced official German diagnostic reference levels, which are based on selected data.
Materials and methods: 413 consecutive pediatric VCUG examinations were analyzed.
Results: The mean dose area product of all examinations was 0.97 dGycm². This is below the lowest reference level that is valid for neonates. In 12 cases (5.6 %) the achieved dose area product was higher than the corresponding reference level.
Conclusion: Using the available techniques for radiation protection, it is possible in the daily routine to meet the official diagnostic reference levels for children, which have been reduced by up to 80 %, even though these levels are based on a selected, possibly non-representative data set.
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