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Organ doses in preterm and full-term neonates and infants - a retrospective study on 1,064 chest radiographs
Birgit Kammer1, Karl O Schneider2, Evi Dell'Agnolo3
1Department of Radiology, University Hospital LMU Munich, Lindwurmstr. 4, 80337, Munich, Germany. Birgit.Kammer@med.uni-muenchen.de.
Insights
This study assessed organ radiation doses from chest X-rays in neonates. Organ dose calculations using PCXMC software can help determine individual radiation risks for infants undergoing radiography.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiological Physics
- Pediatric Radiology
Background:
- Chest radiography is the most common X-ray exam in neonates.
- Current dosimetry methods inadequately assess radiation risk in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate organ doses and total body dose from chest radiographs in preterm and full-term neonates and infants.
- To evaluate the utility of the PCXMC program for calculating neonatal organ doses.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 1,064 chest radiographs from 136 preterm and 305 full-term infants.
- Calculation of entrance dose from dose-area product and organ doses (thyroid, breast, liver, bone marrow) using the neonatal PCXMC program.
- Assessment of field size and centering parameters.
Main Results:
- Median field size varied from 90 cm² in preterm neonates to 290 cm² in 6-month-old infants.
- Median entrance doses ranged from 15 μGy to 25 μGy.
- Median organ doses ranged from 0.5-3.5 μSv for bone marrow to 3-30 μSv for breast tissue.
Conclusions:
- Chest radiograph field sizes show significant variability in neonates and infants.
- Entrance dose variation is minimal, but organ doses differ based on age and anatomy.
- The PCXMC program is a valuable tool for estimating individual radiation risk in pediatric patients undergoing X-ray examinations.
Background:
Chest radiography is the most frequent X-ray examination performed in the neonatal period. However, commonly used dosimetric entities do not describe the radiation risk sufficiently.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate selected organ doses and total body dose of chest radiographs in preterm and full-term neonates and infants.
Materials And Methods:
In this retrospective study, we evaluated 1,064 chest radiographs of 136 preterm and 305 full-term babies with respect to field size and centering. We calculated the entrance dose from the dose-area product. Upper and lower field borders referred to the corresponding vertebrae. We calculated individual organ doses of the thyroid, the breast, the liver and active bone marrow for each chest radiograph using the neonatal PCXMC program, a Monte Carlo program for calculating patient doses in medical X-ray examinations.
Results:
The median field size of chest radiographs ranged from 90 cm2 in preterm neonates at birth to 290 cm2 in full-term infants at the age of 6 months. Median values of entrance dose varied, depending on age, from 15 μGy to 25 μGy. The median organ doses ranged 1-20 μSv for the thyroid, 3-30 μSv for the breast, 2-20 μSv for the liver and 0.5-3.5 μSv for the bone marrow in preterm and full-term neonates and infants, respectively.
Conclusion:
The analysis of chest radiographs in preterm and full-term neonates and infants revealed high variability in field size. By contrast, the entrance dose varied to a minor extent. Organ dose calculations using the PCXMC program might be a valuable tool to calculate the individual radiation risk in neonates and infants.
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