Analyse de la justification de l'irradiation médicale pédiatrique liée à la Tomodensitométrie (TDM) à Lomé (Togo): Analysis of the justification for pediatric medical irradiation linked to Computed Tomography (CT) in Lomé (Togo)

To evaluate the justification of medical irradiation related to CT scans performed in children in Lome. Descriptive cross-sectional study of CT scans performed from 1 September to 30 November 2019 in children aged 0 to 18 years. The analysis of the justification was made particularly on the formulation of the clinical indication, the consistency of the clinical indication with the requested CT and the conformity of the clinical indication with the Good Practice Guide (GPG) medical imaging examinations of the French Society of Radiology (SFR) and French Nuclear Medicine Society (SFMN). The 175 CT scans included were dominated by cerebral CT (72.57%) followed by abdominal-pelvic CT (8%). Boys-dominated children (sex ratio=1.19) had an average age of 10.47+/-5.9. Prescribers composed of medical specialists (49.14%), general practitioner (31.43%) and paramedics (5%), requested in 21.14% of cases an imaging examination not or less irradiant before the CT. Clinical indication formulation was good in 70.86%, acceptable in 26.86%, and poor in 1.71%. This was consistent with the exam requested in 99.43% and conform with the GPG of the SFR in 48.57%. The more consistent the indications were with GPG, the more pathological the results were. Approximately 53% of the CT scans performed were not a priori justified. Pediatric medical irradiation related to CT at Lome was in more than half of the cases a priori unjustified. Efforts must be made by practitioners to ensure that paediatric medical irradiation is judicious in Togo.