• Michael J LaQuaglia, Melissa Anderson, Catherine J Goodhue, Maria Bautista-Durand, Ryan Spurrier, Shadassa Ourshalimian, Lillian Lai, Philip Stanley, Pradip P Chaudhari, and David Bliss.
• From the Division of Pediatric Surgery (M.J.L., R.S., S.O., D.B.), Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Department of Surgery (M.J.L., R.S., S.O., D.B.), Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; Division of Pediatric Surgery (M.A., C.J.G., M.B.-D.) and Department of Radiology (L.L., P.S.), Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Department of Radiology (L.L., P.S.), Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; and Division of Emergency and Transport Medicine (P.P.C.), Children's Hospital Los Angeles, California.
• J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2021 Sep 1; 91 (3): 566-570.

BackgroundWhen head injured children undergo head computed tomography (CT), radiation dosing can vary considerably between institutions, potentially exposing children to excess radiation, increasing risk for malignancies later in life. We compared radiation delivery from head CTs at a level 1 pediatric trauma center (PTC) versus scans performed at referring adult general hospitals (AGHs). We hypothesized that children at our PTC receive a significantly lower radiation dose than children who underwent CT at AGHs for similar injury profiles.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients younger than 18 years who underwent CT for head injury at our PTC or at an AGH before transfer between January 1 and December 31, 2019. We analyzed demographic and clinical data. Our primary outcome was head CT radiation dose, as calculated by volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose-length product (DLP; the product of CTDIvol and scan length). We used unadjusted bivariate and multivariable linear regression (adjusting for age, weight, sex) to compare doses between Children's Hospital Los Angeles and AGHs.ResultsOf 429 scans reviewed, 193 were performed at our PTC, while 236 were performed at AGHs. Mean radiation dose administered was significantly lower at our PTC compared with AGHs (CTDIvol 20.3/DLP 408.7 vs. CTDIvol 30.6/DLP 533, p < 0.0001). This was true whether the AGH was a trauma center or not. After adjusting for covariates, findings were similar for both CTDIvol and DLP. Patients who underwent initial CT at an AGH and then underwent a second CT at our PTC received less radiation for the second CT (CTDIvol 25.6 vs. 36.5, p < 0.0001).ConclusionsHead-injured children consistently receive a lower radiation dose when undergoing initial head CT at a PTC compared with AGHs. This provides a basis for programs aimed at establishing protocols to deliver only as much radiation as necessary to children undergoing head CT.Level Of EvidenceCare Management/Therapeutic, level IV.Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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