A campaign for safer scans for children is part of a growing awareness in the US of the need to reduce radiation dose in imaging.
An alliance of 13 medical societies has launched the Image Gently campaign, in an effort to ensure that medical protocols for imaging children keep pace with technology advances.
The collaboration – the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Paediatric Imaging – was founded in July 2007 by four professional bodies: the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM); the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR); the American College of Radiology; and the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.
Speaking at RSNA was campaign supporter Robert Zeman, MD, professor and chair of radiology and radiation oncology at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington. “Many of us who practice adult radiology had concerns about dose,” Dr Zeman said. “But it is our paediatric radiology colleagues that have really mobilised industry and our professional organisations to take action.”
Manufacturers are also becoming mindful of US radiologists’ demand for conscientious imaging; all the major vendors now include radiation dose safety issues in their marketing platforms. Increased focus is turning to creating more efficient detector technology to increase image quality.
Practitioners are also taking an active interest in dose reduction. Since launching the Image Gently campaign, the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging has assembled 23 member organisations and more than 1300 individuals have taken the Image Gently Pledge to reduce the radiation dose estimate used in the performance of computed tomography (CT) scans on children.
SoR professional officer responsible for radiation protection, Maria Murray, welcomed the campaign: “I knew the US had an increase in linacs but didn’t realise the numbers of CT scans – that’s something we’d try and avoid in the UK. They don’t have the equivalent to IR(ME)R regulations, whereas our practice is very good because we work within a framework with radiographers as gatekeepers to radiation burden.
“The US research and campaigns will hopefully encourage more regulations and much more radiation protection oriented practice.”
