New requirements for X-rays – patient protection is further improved

CT scan Source: Aleksey Khripunkov/Stock.adobe.com

Radiation is used in millions of medical examinations. X-rays are used in many examinations such as computer tomography (CT) and in special procedures such as heart surgery.

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) regularly sets diagnostic reference values for particularly frequent or dose-intensive X-ray applications in order to minimise radiation exposure for patients. The BfS has now considerably reduced these values again: by an average of 15%.

Radiation exposure per examination decreases

Dose reference values are used to optimise the procedures used. Doctors who use X-rays for examinations and interventions must comply with these reference values. Justified exceedances are permitted in individual cases (e.g. for obese patients). The updated values were published in the Federal Gazette.

President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Dr Inge Paulini

"Advances in medical technology have improved the procedures to such an extent that the radiation exposure per examination has been decreasing for years. The new, lower reference values take this development into account. They help further improve the high standard of radiation protection in medicine in Germany", says President of the BfS, Inge Paulini.

The basis for the regular updating of reference values is data from the medical centres that monitor compliance with the values by operators of X-ray systems. Data from studies, particularly on new procedures, are also included.

New reference values for new procedures

With the update, the BfS has introduced 13 new reference values for X-ray applications that had not yet been taken into account. One example is tomosynthesis (sometimes also referred to as 3D mammography) for examining the female breast. Their use (e.g. to clarify abnormal findings) has increased considerably in Germany in recent years. The new reference value is intended to further develop patient protection during the procedure.

Reference values for X-ray applications that no longer correspond to the state of the art and which should be used only in exceptional cases have been omitted in the new version.

Radiation applications in medicine make by far the largest contribution to the radiation exposure of the population. Compared with other European countries, Germany uses relatively low radiation doses per examination on average. However, the number of investigations is high. According to analyses by the BfS, around 130 million X-ray examinations are carried out in Germany every year (an average of around 1.6 per inhabitant per year).

The updated diagnostic reference values can be found on the BfS website: www.bfs.de/diagnostische-referenzwerte