Patient doses for barium meal examination in Serbia and Montenegro and potentials for dose reduction through changes in equipment settings.

Patient doses for barium meal examination performed at three general hospitals in Serbia and Montenegro were measured using a kerma-area product (KAP) meter. The results were analysed in order to obtain dose-related parameters. Although the observed doses were within the range reported in other studies, intra-hospital and inter-hospital dose variations were significant. Mean KAP values for total examination in three hospitals were 8.4, 24.4 and 13.9 Gy cm2, respectively. Contribution from fluoroscopy was greater than from radiography. Factors contributing to the increased dose delivery were determined and the recommendations on radiographic techniques were made. Changes in radiography settings allowed dose reduction up to 48% in the radiographic part of examination, that is, up to 12% in total dose without loss of image quality. In addition, fluoroscopy time was noted as the second major contributor to the dose variations. The results demonstrated the need for standardisation of practice for barium meal examination in the country.