Pediatric Dose Reference Adjustment via Body Parameter Factors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dose reference values for medical imaging are not adequately tailored to pediatric patients, as they are often based on adult parameters, leading to inadequate or excessive radiation exposure during scans, especially for children of different ages and body sizes.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that determine body parameter values for patients, such as age, weight, and height, to calculate an adjustment factor, which is used to adjust a base dose reference value to provide a personalized dose reference value for each patient, ensuring safer and more precise radiation exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If adult dose reference values are used for pediatric patients, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the radiation exposure is excessive or inadequate for children of different ages and body sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of dose reference values from adult-based fixed values to pediatric-specific adjusted values by modifying parameters such as age, weight, and body size. This allows the same base reference values to be adapted to different patient populations, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and appropriate radiation exposure levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The dose reference values are made dynamic by adjusting them based on real-time patient characteristics (age, weight, body size) rather than using static adult values. This dynamic adjustment ensures appropriate radiation exposure for each pediatric patient while maintaining ease of operation through automated calculation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If pediatric-specific dose reference values are calculated using body parameters, then the radiation exposure is appropriate for each patient, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary calculation layer that processes patient body parameters (age, weight, size) to derive adjustment factors, which are then applied to base reference values. This intermediary step simplifies the overall system architecture by breaking down the complex task of personalized dose calculation into manageable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The dose reference value calculation is segmented into separate functional components: base reference value retrieval, patient parameter input, adjustment factor calculation, and final dose determination. This segmentation reduces system complexity by allowing each component to be developed and validated independently.
3Device complexity
If a single base dose reference value is used for all patients, then the system is simple, but it cannot account for variations in pediatric patient body parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains simplicity by using a single base reference value while achieving precision through parameter-based adjustments. By modifying the reference value according to patient-specific parameters (age, weight, body size), the system achieves both simplicity in its core structure and precision in its dose determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static single value to a dynamic calculated value that adapts to patient characteristics. This dynamic approach maintains operational simplicity while significantly improving measurement precision for pediatric patients through automated adjustment based on their specific body parameters.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method and a system are for providing a dose reference value for a patient. In an embodiment, the method includes: determining a body parameter value for each of at least one body parameter of a patient; determining an adjustment factor based at least on the at least one determined body parameter value of the patient; determining a base dose reference value; and providing the dose reference value for the patient based on the base dose reference value adjusted using the determined adjustment factor.