Local Diagnostic Reference Levels for Image-Guided Interventional Procedures for cancer patients established

Muscat: The Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Department at Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Center, represented by the Interventional Radiology Unit, has established Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) for Image-Guided Interventional Procedures (IGIPs), specifically for cancer patients in the Sultanate of Oman.

This marks a significant step towards improving healthcare quality, ensuring the safety of patients and healthcare providers, and reducing unnecessary radiation exposure while maintaining high-quality diagnostic and treatment procedures.

The study compared radiation doses experienced by over 1000 patients at SQCCCRC to determine appropriate radiation doses in IGIPs for cancer patients in Oman in line with international studies, and within acceptable limits and global best practices.

Naema Ali Al Maymani, Medical Physicist said: “Fluoroscopy in medical applications can lead to high radiation doses for patients and operators. Local Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) have been implemented in interventional radiology to minimise radiation exposure while optimising imaging quality and patient safety.

Noura Mohammed Al Makhmari, Medical Physicist at SQCCCRC added: “By setting specific benchmarks for radiation doses, the study will enhance radiological practice, optimising patient safety, imaging quality, and therapeutic outcomes and it will contribute to radiation safety knowledge, and providing guidance for healthcare professionals.