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Accuracy of pelvimetry measurements on CT scanners

East Anglian Regional Radiation Protection Service, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge

This excerpt was created in the absence of an abstract.

There is an increasing awareness of radiation dose received by the patient and the use of low dose techniques is encouraged whenever possible. A low dose technique which is available is the use of the overview or scanogram facility on a computed tomography (CT) scanner to produce a digital radiograph for pelvimetry measurements instead of the conventional radiograph. Unfortunately ultrasound, which is the low dose technique, cannot be used for pelvimetry measurements because of the bone geometry. Several published papers discuss the dose reduction (of the order of 90%) which is received by the mother and the fetus by changing to CT pelvimetry examinations (Federle et al, 1982; Suramo et al, 1984; Dobson & Nelson, 1988), and the recent NRPB Report (1990) emphasized this dose reduction. As many district hospitals now have CT scanners, this technique is becoming more widely practised.

Whilst dose reduction is a major consideration when choosing a new technique, it is also important that the results obtained are as good or better than conventional techniques, since any inaccuracies may have serious repercussions and lead to complications during labour. For pelvimetries carried out on CT scanners, a lateral view or an antero-posterior (AP) scanogram, or both, is obtained of the pelvis and the required distances are measured on the viewing console using the distance measurement facilites provided in the software.

Key Words: Pelvimetry • Radiography digital • Pelvis measurement

Received for publication May 17, 1991. Revision received July 25, 1991. Accepted for publication September 4, 1991.