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Home > Press > Year 2010 > Press release 12 as of 2010/07/29
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Press Release 12 as of 2010/07/29
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Good news for patients: Radiation exposure in X-ray examinations can be reduced
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Each X-ray examination is associated with exposure to radiation. To achieve better protection of patients, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has been working on avoiding unnecessary X-ray examinations and optimising necessary examinations and at the same time reducing the radiation exposure involved.
For this purpose, the BfS introduced diagnostic reference values in August 2003 – as has been provided for in the X-ray Ordinance – , which have now been updated. For the first time, the BfS has additionally established reference values for four types of computer tomography examinations in children for six age groups and weight groups. The diagnostic reference value (DRV) is the radiation dose that must not be exceeded on average in a special type of X-ray examination.
The updated reference values are on average 30 to 50 % lower than the previously effective values. For example, the new diagnostic reference value for an X-ray image of the pelvis is 40 per cent lower than the old value. The radiation risk resulting from the X-ray examination decreases by the same percentage. This shows the trend hoped for towards a reduction of the radiation exposure in a single examination.
However, too many X-ray examinations are performed in Germany compared with other countries. Especially dose-intensive examinations, such as computer tomography, have strongly increased in the past years. The objective is to reduce the exposure to the necessary minimum. Therefore, the examinations will continue to be observed and optimised in the years to come.
The medical services responsible for quality assurance in X-ray examinations verify whether the diagnostic reference values are complied with in X-ray practices and clinics. For this purpose, they perform an inquiry on what radiation doses are used on average for the various examinations in the X-ray installations. On the basis of the data transferred by the medical services in the past years, the Federal Office has updated the previous reference values.
According to the proposal by the European Union and the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the updated diagnostic reference value is to correspond with the dose complied with by 75 percent of the clinics and practices. The medical services support the installations where the diagnostic reference values are exceeded with proposals of how they can further optimise the X-ray examinations so that they also comply with the reference values.
The BfS expects that this will help further reduce both the patient dose and the diagnostic reference values for the long term and that this way, the radiation exposure to the population due to X-ray diagnostics can be reduced.
The current diagnostic reference values can be downloaded on the BfS homepage (in German only).
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