Optimizing radiation dose and image quality in neonatal mobile radiography

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Radiology
• Medical Imaging Physics

Background:

• Children exhibit heightened sensitivity to ionizing radiation compared to adults.
• Accurate diagnosis in neonates necessitates a careful balance between minimizing radiation dose and preserving essential image quality (IQ).

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine optimal radiation dose parameters for neonatal mobile radiography of the chest and abdomen.
• To evaluate the trade-off between entrance surface dose and image quality indices in neonatal radiography.

Main Methods:

• Systematic evaluation of various exposure parameters on neonatal and acrylic phantoms.
• Assessment of entrance surface dose and image quality (IQ) indices.
• Visual and physical evaluations to identify optimal settings.

Main Results:

• The combination of 65 kilovolts peak (kVp) and 1.2 milliampere-seconds (mAs) was identified as optimal.
• These parameters achieved the best balance between reduced radiation exposure and maintained high image quality for neonates.

Conclusions:

• The findings provide critical insights for optimizing radiographic conditions in neonatal care.
• Implementing these parameters can enhance diagnostic accuracy while minimizing radiation risks for infants.
• This research supports safer and more effective radiological practices in neonatal intensive care units.