Browsing by Author "Jackson, Jofrey"

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    Assessment of patient dose and image quality during mammography examinations in selected hospitals in Tanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2017) Jackson, Jofrey
    Mammography is an effective screening tool to detect and diagnose cancer if the technique is well optimized. The objective of this study was to assess the current status of patient dose and image quality at four mammography facilities taking into account the potential optimized exposure conditions. The hospitals studied were Aga Khan Hospital Muhimbili National Hospital, Sali International Hospital in Dar es Salaam and Navin Sumir Kamar Hospital in Arusha. The international code of practice for dosimetry in diagnostic radiology was applied to determine Entrance Surface Air Kerma (ESAK) and Mean Glandular Dose (MGD) for a population of 100 patients. The assessment of the quality of images obtained during mammography of patients was done by experienced radiologists by scoring the images under the guidance of quality criteria recommended by European Commission. The mean ESAK was 13.49 ± 2.83 mGy which is above the diagnostic reference level of 10 mGy. The average MGD per exposure was 2.60 ± 0.52 mGy while the corresponding average MGD during cranio-caudal and medio-lateral oblique views were 2.55 ± 0.49 mGy and 2.65 ± 0.52 mGy, respectively. The average MGD values obtained in this study were slightly above the international reference dose value of 2.5 mGy for the reference standard breast of 5.3 cm. In terms of image quality, the results indicated poor quality image of at least 45% at all hospitals, mainly caused by over and under exposure and breast misplacement. Better optimal conditions could have been achieved by using automatic exposure parameters selection, training of radiographers and implementing regular QC programme. In conclusion, there is a potential for optimization for mammography practice at four studied hospitals.