{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,20]],"date-time":"2026-06-20T04:51:34Z","timestamp":1781931094362,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781740800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"KAU Endowment"},{"name":"Deanship of Scientific Research"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Although diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on anatomical regions are widely used in computed tomography (CT) imaging, a clinical-indication-based approach provides a more accurate representation of daily practice and protocol variation. This study aimed to establish typical radiation doses for common CT clinical indications among adult patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 298 adult patients who underwent CT examinations between 2020 and 2025 using two dual-source scanners operating in single- and dual-source modes. Demographic data, acquisition parameters, and radiation dose metrics, including CT dose index (CTDIvol) and the dose\u2013length product (DLP), were extracted from scanner consoles. Six clinical indications were analyzed: brain trauma, sinusitis, chest metastases (chest Mets), interstitial lung disease (ILD), abdominopelvic metastases (AbdPel Mets), and hernia. Results: Typical median CTDIvol values in mGy were 36.4 for brain trauma, 3.4 for sinusitis, 4.9 for chest Mets, 5.6 for ILD, 7.2 for AbdPel Mets and hernia. Corresponding DLP values in mGy\u00b7cm were 654, 50, 173, 188, 344, and 369, respectively. Brain trauma demonstrated the highest radiation exposure, whereas sinusitis CT showed the lowest. Most values were comparable to or lower than international DRLs. Conclusions: This study provides the first comprehensive clinical-indication-based DRL data in Saudi Arabia beyond anatomical benchmarks, supporting ongoing dose optimization and future national DRL development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics16121897","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T10:25:34Z","timestamp":1781778334000},"page":"1897","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["From Anatomical to Clinical DRLs: Establishing Indication-Based CT Dose Benchmarks in Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3179-6470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abir","family":"Bouaoun","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiologic Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Reem M.","family":"Althubaiti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiologic Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-5582-990X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rudinah W.","family":"Edreess","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Computed Tomography Division, Department of Radiology, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1043-8949","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Afnan A.","family":"Malaih","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiologic Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chen, J., Zheng, J., Zhang, Q., Zhang, J., Dai, Q., and Zhang, D. 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