{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,18]],"date-time":"2026-10-18T13:43:14Z","timestamp":1792330994915,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753228800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project","award":["PNURSP2025R850"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PNURSP2025R850"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Computed tomography (CT) of the head is vital in diagnosing neurological conditions but poses concerns regarding radiation exposure. Traditional diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are based on anatomical regions, potentially overlooking variations in radiation requirements driven by clinical indication. This study aimed to establish clinical indication-specific DRLs (DRLCIs) for adult head CT to support precision benchmarking and optimise patient safety. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using data from 378 adult patients undergoing non-contrast CT head scans between September 2022 and February 2024. Data on patient demographics, protocols, and radiation dose metrics (Computed Tomography Dose Index Volume and Dose\u2013Length Product) were extracted using DoseWatch\u2122 software. Protocol parameters were standardised across clinical indications such as trauma, stroke, headache, seizure, and infection. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed. Descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, and percentile distributions, were calculated. Correlation analyses were conducted using Pearson\u2019s correlation coefficient to examine relationships between dose metrics and patient variables such as age and body mass index. Results: Mean CTDIvol values ranged from 50.58 mGy (trauma) to 52.90 mGy (infection), while DLP values ranged from 1052.52 to 1219.98 mGy\u00b7cm. Percentile distributions were narrow, indicating effective protocol standardisation. The strongest correlation was observed between CTDIvol and DLP (r = 0.89), while age and body mass index showed negligible influence on dose metrics. Comparative analysis showed alignment with international benchmarks from the UK, Qatar, Bahrain, and Nigeria. Conclusions: This study establishes DRLCIs for adult head CT, demonstrating consistent radiation dose delivery across indications with minimal variability. Clinical indication-based benchmarking enhances dose optimisation and aligns with global radiological protection frameworks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics15151849","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T10:49:17Z","timestamp":1753267757000},"page":"1849","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Precision in Practice: Clinical Indication-Specific DRLs for Head CT for Advanced Personalised Dose Benchmarking"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7135-918X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nora","family":"Almuqbil","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2895-2284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zuhal Y.","family":"Hamd","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1342-7452","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wiam","family":"Elshami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Diagnostic Imaging Department, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates"},{"name":"Research Institute for Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6320-9878","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohamed","family":"Abuzaid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Diagnostic Imaging Department, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates"},{"name":"Research Institute for Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1093\/rpd\/ncab125","article-title":"Comparison of radiation dose and image quality in head CT scans among multidetector CT scanners","volume":"196","author":"Abuzaid","year":"2021","journal-title":"Radiat. Prot. 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