Evaluation of skin entrance dose in radiographic skull exams in pediatrics

X-ray examinations are widely used for medical diagnosis in pediatrics. However the dose of high radiation may lead to the occurrence of some biological effects in patients. This study evaluated the dose of radiation received by pediatric patients who underwent radiographic examinations of the skull. The mean dose obtained and their standard deviation were (1,01 ± 0,49) mGy and (0,84 ± 0,44) mGy for the AP and Profile projection, respectively. The mean value for Voltage (kVp) and Load (mAs) used for the AP skull projection were 67.86 kVp and 28.54 mAs, respectively, and for the Skull Profile projection 63.23 kVp and 27.34 mAs, respectively. Comparing the obtained values with the main dose reference levels such as the European Commission (EC) 5 , whose dose recommendation is 1.5 mGy for the AP projection and 1 mGy for the Profile projection, perceived values within the expected. (author)