Assessment of radiation risk to pediatric patients undergoing conventional X-ray examinations

Increasing concern has been expressed in the literature that the knowledge of physicians regarding the radiation risk values incurred during different radiological examinations is inadequate. This study determined the amount of organ doses and the radiation risks involved in pediatric radiology in terms of the age and sex of patients. The X-ray examinations of the chest, abdomen, pelvis and skull in patients of six age groups (newborn, 1-, 5-, 10- and 15-year-old, and adult) were investigated. Exposure data of 480 patients were collected from four radiology departments and then Entrance Skin Exposure (ESE) values for standard patients in the six age groups as well as five X-ray examinations were measured. By using these practical data, the risk of exposure-induced cancer death (REID) values were estimated based on the risk models of the BEIR VII committee. It was shown that the differences in RED values in male and female patients were statistically significant for the chest and pelvis X-ray examinations. The X-rays of the abdomen, chest and pelvis have the highest REID values in 15-, 10- and 15-year-old patients, respectively. The results obtained can help physicians to make suitable decisions about the execution and justification of every X-ray examination in the different age groups. This information will help to prevent either overestimation or underestimation of radiation risks.