8 research outputs found

    Therapy for Thyroid Cancer Practice in King Abdulaziz University Hospital

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    Abstract Since 1940s, intake of Iodine 131 is a deeprooted postoperative therapy for malignant thyroid. However, clinical practice does differ significantly between hospitals. This paper presents a retrospective study of a clinical practice for patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH). The aim of this study was to benchmark KAUH practice patterns against international guidelines. A total of 100 patients with thyroid cancer were included, 70% females and 30% males with median age of 42.5 and 43.5 years respectively. Cases were patients, diagnosed with thyroid cancer and treated with radioactive iodine at KAUH in Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2011. Some additional patient's data were excluded from the study because of missing information or lost to follow-up. Medical records included patient's gender, age, clinical diagnoses, iodine dose, and the recurrence. Where, thirty-three percent (33%) of the patients had papillary carcinoma, (3%) had follicular carcinoma and (1%) had Hurtle cell tumors. All patients had their total/partial thyroidectomy at KAUH. Dose administered ranged from (50 to 300) mCi with the 61% receiving a dose of 100mCi. A statistical test, Chisquare test, were used to allow us to test for deviations of observed frequencies from expected frequencies. The medical record showed that 3% of the patient had died and 4% had a recurrence that was successfully treated by the time of the study. Moreover, the 5-year survival rates for patients with thyroid cancers was 93%. The thyroid cancer incidence and the I-131 practice in KAUH is consistent with international data and standards

    The Spectral Measurement of Scattered Radiation From a Clinical Linear Accelerator Using a CZT Detector

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    The study of the induced radioactivity following radiotherapy with high energy X-rays from medical linear accelerator. Patient equivalent phantom made of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) of 30x30x27 cm size irradiated with 15 MV X-rays from Versa HD medical linear accelerator form Elekta. Induced radioactive and ambient dose rates were measured at 0.25, 0.5 and 1 m from beam center using GR1® spectrometry with Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors having energy resolution less than 2%. Spectrum analysis was performed using MultiSpect software. The measured spectrum showed 511 keV annihilation photons possibly as a result of positron emitter of which most likely candidates are 62Cu(T1/2: 9.7 min), 64Cu (T1/2: 12.7 h )  and 57Ni  (T1/2:  35.6 h) and a  peak at ≈ 1780 keV that could be attributed 28Al and 214Bi radioisotope. Ambient photon dose rates post radiotherapy treatment ranged 660 µGyh-1at o.5 m to 41 µGyh-1at 1 m. These values agree well with the results presented in the literature. Keywords: Radiotherapy; Activation Products; Gamma spectrometry; Occupational exposure; Medical Linear Accelerator. DOI: 10.7176/ALST/83-05 Publication date: November 30th 2020

    Improving inappropriate radiology referrals: a template for imaging requests in Saudi Arabia

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    Abstract Background Imaging requests are the first line of communication between the referring physician and the radiology department. The information provided allows the imaging team to choose the optimal examination for the clinical question. There are no imaging referral guidelines in Saudi Arabia. The Radiological Society of Saudi Arabia (RSSA) and Arabsafe have surveyed to develop an imaging referral tool in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to determine the most critical clinical information that should be included in an imaging request form in Saudi Arabia. Methodology A questionnaire was sent to the RSSA members to rank —using the Likert scale— the importance of 8 pieces of clinical information to discern what must be included in the imaging request form. Results The response rate was 80% of the RSSA members, which included 75 respondents, mostly Radiology consultants and residents in training. Radiologists carried different specialties and came from 4 main provinces in the Kingdom. 90.6% of Radiologists ranked the clinical question with relevant details as very important. The contact information of the requesting clinician came next in the ranking, with 82.3% scoring it as very important. The “very important” scores were 64.9% for the past medical history, 67.3% for past surgical history, 49.2% for laboratory, 38.3% for risk factors, and 56.7% for prior radiological studies. The RSSA-Arabsafe imaging request template was proposed because of the respondents’ votes to include all eight points: a clear clinical question relevant to the requested exam, the contact information of the referring physician, relevant surgical history, relevant medical history, past radiological tests if any, patient demographics, and relevant laboratory tests. Conclusions The RSSA-Arabsafe template is the first tool to improving imaging referrals and hence patients’ safety and services in Radiology departments in Saudi Arabia. It is crucial for healthcare institutions to actively implement standardized imaging request forms, such as the proposed RSSA-Arabsafe template, to reduce inappropriate referrals, enhance communications and optimize resource utilization

    Dental Cone-Beam Computed Tomography: Are the Eye Lens and Thyroid at Risk?

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    Background: The purpose of this study was to assess radiation dose to the eye lens (EL) and thyroid gland (TG) from 22 protocols used in maxillofacial imaging with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods and Results: NanoDot optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters were used to assess scattered radiation to the EL and TG using a phantom. The dosimeters were secured at four sites around areas of interest. Mean eye radiation dose was significantly associated with field of view (FOV) size (r=0.830, P<0.001). Meanwhile, the mean thyroid radiation dose was found to be significantly associated only with exposure time (r=0.464, P=0.030). Mandible centralization was observed to be the most significant predictor for a greater effective thyroid dose; mandible FOV centralization had 0.236 odds of a higher thyroid dose than maxilla FOV centralization. Conclusion: FOV size significantly impacted EL dose. Thyroid exposure was affected by FOV centralization and exposure time. Centering the FOV on the mandible resulted in a greater effective dose due to the proximity of the TG to the primary beam

    Analysis of public perception about ionizing radiation

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    This study assessed the level of public knowledge regarding ionizing radiation, the sources of information available to the public, and the preferred sources of education. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A 15-question survey was distributed to participants who attended a radiation awareness activity held for the public. Participants were asked to rank their confidence regarding ionizing radiation knowledge on a Likert-style scale. They also answered questions on their perception of risks, the source from which they received health information, and their preferred method of education. Only 3% of the 244 participants were “knowledgeable” about ionizing radiation. Nine percent stated they were confident about their ionizing radiation knowledge, and they were more knowledgeable than unconfident individuals (p = 0.041). Age, gender, and education level played no role in ionizing radiation knowledge (p = 0.746, p = 0.245, and p = 0.060, respectively). Among those who had undergone a medical imaging investigation during the past year, only 24% received an explanation of the risks and benefits. Participants overestimated the risk of nuclear plants, as this was selected as the source with the greatest risk to health, followed by medical sources. Most of those who had prior knowledge searched for the information on the internet (34%), however, more participants would prefer to receive education from their healthcare providers (36%)
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