COMP Report: A survey of radiation safety regulations for medical imaging x-ray equipment in Canada.

X-ray regulations and room design methodology vary widely across Canada. The Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) conducted a survey in 2016/2017 to provide a useful snapshot of existing variations in rules and methodologies for human patient medical imaging facilities. Some jurisdictions no longer have radiation safety regulatory requirements and COMP is concerned that lack of regulatory oversight might erode safe practices.

Health Canada Safety Code 35: awareness of the impacts for diagnostic radiology in Canada.

Health Canada Safety Code 35 brings Canada's diagnostic imaging radiation output and protection standards to an international level. This Safety Code is comprehensive and will have broad implications for most health care facilities. This Safety Code outlines quality control procedures that will ultimately reduce patient dose while providing the best quality diagnostic images, all within a safe working environment.

Assessment of patient doses in CR examinations throughout a large health region.

Optimization and standardization of radiographic procedures in a health region minimizes patient exposure while producing diagnostic images. This report highlights the dose variation in common computed radiography (CR) examinations throughout a large health region. The RadChex cassette was used to measure the radiation exposure at the table or wall bucky in 20 CR rooms, in seven hospitals, using CR technology from two vendors.

Implementation of a new undergraduate radiology curriculum: experience at the University of British Columbia.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review and revise the undergraduate radiology curriculum at the University of British Columbia to improve radiology education to medical students and to meet the needs of a medical program with province-wide distribution.

Methods: We identified the radiology content of the curriculum from the Curriculum Management and Information Tool online database, from personal interviews with curriculum heads, and from published information. Undergraduates' and recent graduates' opinions were solicited by means of surveys.

Basic physics of ultrasound imaging.

The appearance of ultrasound images depends critically on the physical interactions of sound with the tissues in the body. The basic principles of ultrasound imaging and the physical reasons for many common artifacts are described.

Radiation doses to patients receiving computed tomography examinations in British Columbia.

Objective: To estimate the diagnostic reference levels and effective radiation dose to patients from routine computed tomography (CT) examinations in the province of British Columbia, Canada.

Methods: The patient weight, height and computed tomography dose index or dose linear product (DLP) were recorded on study sheets for 1070 patients who were referred for clinically indicated routine CT examinations at 18 radiology departments in British Columbia. Sixteen of the scanners were multidetector row scanners.

Radiation dose in abdominal computed tomography: the role of patient size and the selection of tube current.

Objective: To develop an algorithm for selecting tube current for computed tomography (CT), based on patient weight, that produces abdominal CT images of consistent image quality.

Methods: We recorded body weight and radiation exposure parameters for 37 patients undergoing abdominal CT. Two radiologists blind to the CT technique independently graded 11 measures of image quality, using a 5-point (5 = excellent, 4 = good, 3 = acceptable, 2 = poor, and 1 = unacceptable) scale.

Dose reduction in CT while maintaining diagnostic confidence: diagnostic reference levels at routine head, chest, and abdominal CT--IAEA-coordinated research project.

Purpose: To measure radiation doses for computed tomography (CT) of the head, chest, and abdomen and compare them with the diagnostic reference levels, as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency Research coordination project.

Materials And Methods: The local ethics committees of all participating institutions approved the study protocol. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients.

Optimization of dose and image quality for computed radiography and digital radiography.

The surface doses to patients during chest, abdomen and pelvis radiography were measured over a period of 3 years, during which time computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) systems were introduced to replace film-screen systems. For film-screen and CR the surface doses were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters. For DR the surface doses were calculated from the dose-area product (DAP) meter readings.

Change in patient doses from radiological examinations at the Vancouver General Hospital, 1991-2002.

Objective: Much concern has been expressed over the radiation doses and potential harm from x-ray examinations. However, there have been few longitudinal studies in North America. A survey of doses from radiological examinations in Canada was last carried out in 1995.