Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1887848 | Physica Medica | 2007 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
This study presents the results of the on-site inspections performed by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) on conventional X-ray systems, both in public and private medical radiology departments. A part of the inspection concerns the assessment of important radiographic parameters obtained according to a specified quality control protocol and the comparison of the measured parameter values with the corresponding acceptance limits. A total number of 1011 radiographic systems were inspected by the GAEC during the period 1998-2004, with 63.4% of them being privately owned. Analysis of 8 different operational parameters is carried out providing information on the overall performance, as well as on each parameter of the inspected X-ray systems. Tube voltage reproducibility values show the highest percentage of acceptability (98.9%, 99.5% for private and public owned radiographic systems respectively), while linearity of radiation output for private systems (72.5%) and time accuracy for public ones (72.7%) show the worst results. The comparison of the results for the private sector to those of a similar study carried out during the period 1995-1997 indicates a substantial improvement in X-ray systems performance. Higher level of improvement shows exposure time accuracy (12.2% percentile increase) and linearity of radiation output (12.5% percentile increase). Nevertheless, the situation can be further optimized if maintenance and quality control of the radiographic systems are carried out on a more regular basis.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Radiation
Authors
S. Economides, C.J. Hourdakis, N. Kalivas, M. Kalathaki, G. Simantirakis, P. Tritakis, G. Manousaridis, S. Vogiatzi, P. Kipouros, A. Boziari, V. Kamenopoulou,