[Comparative studies on the patient's exposure to radiation in case of spinal thin-layer computed tomography and of...

The doses received by the organs in case of spinal thin-layer computed tomography, conventional tomography and myelography of the inferior lumbar spine (with first portion of the sacrum) were determined with CaF2 thermoluminescence dosemeters in the Alderson Rando phantom. As compared to computed tomography, the organ doses of the conventional examination methods were lower within the region of primary radiation and higher within the region of scattered radiation. Generally, patients examined by spinal thin-layer computed tomography of the inferior lumbar spine run a greater somatic radiation risk than those submitted to conventional examination methods.