scholarly journals Proposals for the Russian quality assurance program in computed tomography

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-33
Author(s):  
P. S. Druzhinina ◽  
L. A. Chipiga ◽  
S. A. Ryzhov ◽  
A. V. Vodovatov ◽  
G. V. Berkovich ◽  
...  

To ensure the quality assurance of CT-examinations, it is necessary to obtain the high-quality diagnostic information and maintain the optimal exposure levels of patients and medical staff. This paper is focused on the requirements and main aspects of quality assurance of CT-examinations, which include quality control of the equipment, methods of CT-image quality control, optimization of radiation protection, as well as management of the unintended and accidental medical exposure. The paper contains recommendations on quality control of diagnostic equipment, methods for monitoring the quality control of CT-images, values of diagnostic reference levels for the detection of abnormally high patient doses and optimization of the radiation protection of patients, as well as the recommendations for management of radiation and non-radiation accidents. All main sections of the paper represent an unified quality assurance system in computed tomography.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 3212-3213
Author(s):  
Anurag A. Luharia

Ionizing radiation has validated its existence and effectiveness in modern medicine for both diagnostic and therapeutic use. For the last decade rapid growth in medical radiation application has witnessed in India towards the betterment of mankind, for safe and quality clinical practice, radiation protection and quality assurance. At the end of the 19th century Physics brought paradigm shift in the field of radiation-based medical diagnosis and treatment and giving rise to the modern medical physicist profession and revolutionized the practice of medicine. Medical Physicists are the scientists with Post graduation / PhD degrees, and certified from A.E.R.B as Radiological Safety Officer, deals with utilization of Physics knowledge in developing not only lifesaving tools & technology but also diagnosis and treatments of various medical conditions that help humans live longer and healthier. Medical Physicists are responsible to carry out the commissioning, establishment of entire Radiation facility and get the clearance of statutory compliances form authorities in order to start the clinical practice are also responsible for research, developing and evaluating new analytical techniques, planning and ensuring safe and accurate treatment of patients also provide advice about radiation protection, training and updating healthcare, scientific and technical staff , managing radiotherapy quality assurance program, mathematical modeling ,maintaining equipment ,writing reports, teaching ,laboratory management and administration. Now it’s a time to raise the curtain from the Medical Physics profession and utilize their services up to maximum extent in the field of scientific research, academic, teaching, diagnosis, treatment and safety.


Author(s):  
Jerry R Williams

The chapter is concerned with the features of radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment that present radiation protection issues for both patients and staff. These are managed through regulation, manufacturing standards, and adherence to safe working practices. It is different for patients who are deliberately irradiated in accordance with justification protocols not considered here. Radiation protection is based on the ALARP principle which requires the resultant dose to be minimized consistent with image quality is sufficient to provide accurate and safe diagnosis. Dose minimization is critically dependent on detector efficiency. Quality control of dose for individual examinations is particularly important to provide assurance of ALARP. It should include not only patient dose assessment but also detector dose indicators, particularly in radiography. These issues are discussed in detail together with other dose-saving features and discussion on objective methods of image quality assessment. Commissioning and lifetime tests are required for quality assurance programmes. These are described.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2A) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Modesto Gadelha Gontijo ◽  
Andréa Vidal Ferreira ◽  
Leonardo Tafas Constantino Nascimento ◽  
Flávia Mesquita Costa ◽  
Juliana Batista Silva ◽  
...  

Activimeters (or dose calibrators) are essential instruments to verify activity of radiopharmaceutical after production and also before the dose administration in humans or animals for molecular imaging. The efficiency and safety measurements depend on, beside other factors, constancy tests and quality assurance. Thereby, the aim of this work was to perform constancy tests and quality assurance in the activimeters of the UPPR/CDTN, based on the CNEN-NN 3.05 Brazilian standard and the manufacturer's manual. Physical inspection, auto zero, background check, camera voltage, data check and constancy test were done. In addition, accuracy and precision tests were performed using a set of standard certified radioactive sources (57Co, 133Ba and 137Cs), according to the CNEN NN 3.05 Brazilian standard. Linearity test was also performed to evaluate the response of the equipment in over the entire range of activities used in routine. The equipments are periodically submitted to the quality control tests and the results were compared. After performing the proposed tests it is possible to conclude that activimeters are in accordance with the requirements of the CNEN standard and manufacturer´s manual. A quality control checklist was prepared to guide users and to record the results of quality assurance testing to monitor the equipment performance. This initiative is part of the quality assurance program implemented at UPPR.


2007 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 283-288
Author(s):  
Morrie Craig ◽  
G. Rottinghaus ◽  
K. Walker ◽  
E. Ishikuro

Quality assurance and quality control is the foundation of any diagnostic test. The two laboratories in the United States that use HPLC to quantitate endophyte toxins in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) are Oregon State University (OSU) and University of Missouri (MU). Japan, the major importer of grass straw has six new laboratories that will test agricultural imports for endophyte toxins. A quality assurance program was set up between the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and the State of Oregon. The latter includes both OSU and the MU. All units are using an accurate crystalline standard and have exchanged "check" samples among themselves. To date OSU and MU have values that differ by 10%. OSU has identified a contaminating and coeluting peak as the cause of the differences. Both laboratories are changing to a Gemini column to rectify the differences. Japanese laboratories are in the process of evaluating their split check samples. Keywords: quality assurance, quality control, endophyte, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass


Author(s):  
Ravinder M. Diwan ◽  
Shashikant Shah ◽  
John Eggers

The variability associated with the production, construction, and testing of structural and paving concrete is discussed. Data from more than 900 projects constructed from 1992 through 1999 representing more than 25,000 lots were evaluated. The data were collected from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s (DOTD’s) computerized Material Test Data Reporting System. The analysis indicated that ( a) overall price reductions were less than 0.2% for structural concrete and about 0.5% for paving concrete, ( b) the thickness of concrete cores is the major contributor to the overall reduction in the price of paving concrete, ( c) there was good control in the production and testing of structural concrete, and ( d) there was an increase in the nonuniformity of paving concrete acceptance criteria. Recommendations include a need to maintain better control of the variability of paving concrete through the application of control charts or unknown variability in the specification types and a need for continued evaluation for monitoring the overall quality control and quality assurance program of the DOTD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 153303381987077
Author(s):  
Maria F. Chan ◽  
Seng-Boh Lim ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Xiaoli Tang ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
...  

Purposes: The newly released Protura 6 degrees-of-freedom couch (CIVCO) has limited quality assurance protocols and pertinent publications. Herein, we report our experiences of the Protura system acceptance, commissioning, and quality assurance. Methods: The Protura system integration was tested with peripheral equipment on the following items: couch movement range limit, 6 degrees-of-freedom movement accuracy, weight test and couch sagging, system connection with Linac, isocentricity of couch and rotation alignment, kV and cone-beam computed tomography imaging of HexaCHECK with MIMI phantom (Standard Imaging), and an in-house custom 6 degrees-of-freedom quality assurance phantom. A couch transmission measurement was also performed. Results: The vertical, longitudinal, and lateral ranges of the 6 degrees-of-freedom couch pedestal are 43.9 to 0.0 cm, 24.6 to 149.5 cm, −20.6 to 20.7 cm, respectively. The couch movement accuracy was within 1 mm in all directions. The couch sagging with a 200 lbs (∼91 kg) evenly distributed object is 1.0 cm and 0.4° pitch in the distal end of the couch. The isocentricity of the couch was about 0.5 mm in diameter of all crosshair projections on the couch isocenter level, and the largest couch rotation alignment observed was (0.3°) at the couch angle of 90°. The deviation from the reference position (zero position) of the HexaCHECK phantom, measured by matching the cone-beam computed tomography with the reference planning computed tomography, was found to be below 0.2 mm in the anterior–posterior and right–left dimensions, 0.4 mm in superior–inferior dimension, and 0.1° in roll, pitch, and yaw directions. Conclusions: A 6 degrees-of-freedom quality assurance phantom is helpful for the commissioning and routine quality assurance tests. Due to the third-party integration with Linac, the system is prone to “double-correction” errors. A rigorous quality assurance program is the key to a successful clinical implementation of the Protura system.


2011 ◽  
Vol 147 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 126-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Slusarczyk-Kacprzyk ◽  
W. Skrzynski ◽  
E. Fabiszewska ◽  
W. Bulski

Author(s):  
Taunia Wilde ◽  
Shannan Baker ◽  
Gary M. Sandquist

The design, construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning and decontamination of nuclear infrastructure particularly nuclear power plants licensed in the US by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) or the US Department of Defense (DOD) must be executed under a rigorous and documented quality assurance program that provides adequate quality control and oversight. Those codes, standards, and orders regulate, document and prescribe the essentials for quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) that frequently impact nuclear facilities operated in the US are reviewed and compared.


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