Comparison of radiation load and risk of some X-ray and radionuclide examinations

The effective dose equivalents from X-ray and radionuclide examinations of the urinary tract, lungs and brain are compared. The radiation burden from spinal X-raying is compared with that from bone scintigraphy. The radiation burden from some typical radiodiagnostic and nuclear medical examinations is shown in diagrams. The effective dose equivalent lies within the range of 1 to 10 mSv for both kinds of examination, except for renography following 131I hippuran application, which is associated with a very low radiation burden, and for scintigraphy following 201Tl and 67Ga application, which brings about a relatively high burden. (Z.S.). 6 figs., 15 refs