Article

Establishing diagnostic reference levels in interventional radiology: a Moroccan single-center study

¹ Morpho Sciences Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Department of Radiology, Ar-Razi Hospital, Med VI University Hospital Center, Marrakech, Morocco
² Sciences and Engineering of Biomedicals, Biophysics and Health Laboratory, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Hassan First University, Settat 26000, Morocco

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .m

Received: 4 May 2025
Accepted: 7 September 2025

Abstract

Interventional radiology (IR) is a key diagnostic tool but involves significant radiation exposure. This study intends to determine the local Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRL) for Interventional Radiology in a Moroccan university Hospital. A retrospective review of 220 procedures was performed, including Lower Limb Angiography (LLA), Cerebral Angiography (CA), Central Venous Access Device (CVAD) placement, and Pacemaker Implantation (PM). The 3rd quartile DAP values were as follows: LLA: 107.98 Gy·cm², CA: 232.18 Gy·cm², CVAD: 2.26 Gy·cm² and PM: 27.10 Gy·cm². The results of the study show that local DRLs are greater than the published DRLs, indicating that there is poor management and optimization of the radiation dose. This work forms the preliminary groundwork to determine the national benchmarks of DRLs for the studied procedures and improve the radiation protection standards in the country.