A survey of organ equivalent and effective doses from diagnostic radiology procedures

The quantification of radiation risks associated with radiological examinations has been a subject of interest with the increased use of X-rays. Effective dose, which is a risk-weighted measure of radiation to organs in the body associated with radiological examination, is considered a good indicator of radiological risk. We have therefore investigated patient effective doses from radiological examinations. Organ and effective doses were estimated for 94 patients who underwent computed tomography examinations and for 338 patients who had conventional radiography examinations. The OrgDose (version 2) program was used for the estimation of effective doses. The tube potential ranges: 57 kVp to 138 kVp depending on the examination and patient size. The entrance surface doses have a wide range even for the same examination: 0.44-10.31 mGy (abdomen) and 0.66-16.08 mGy (lumbar spine) and the corresponding effective dose ranges 0.025-0.77 mSv and 0.025-0.95 mSv respectively. Effective dose for adult abdomen-pelvic CT examinations ranges 5.4-19.8 mSv with a mean of 13.6 mSv and for pediatrics ranges 2.1-5.5 mSv with a mean of 2.7 mSv. The mean effective dose for adult chest and head CT examinations are 7.9 and 1.8 mSv respectively and for pediatrics are 1.7 and 1.1 mSv.