Radiation dose to infants, children and adults in X-ray diagnostic radiology-in the case of plain radiography

The objective of this study was to evaluate radiation doses to infant, child and adult patients undergoing various types of plain radiography and to compare the doses among them. The doses were measured using newborn, 6-year-child and adult anthropomorphic phantoms, in which photodiode dosimeters were implanted at various tissue and organ positions. Measured doses were used to evaluate organ and effective doses. Organ doses obtained in various types of radiography were lower than 0.7 mGy for adults, 0.3 mGy for children and 0.2 mGy for infants, excepting lens dose of approximately 1 mGy in adult head radiography, where the doses for children and infants lowered to 1/2-1/3 of the doses for adults. Effective doses in various types of head radiography for adults, children and infants were in identical levels in a range of 5-30 μSv. In chest, abdomen and hip-joint radiography, effective doses of 0.02-0.11 mSv for children and 0.02-0.08 mSv for infants were identical to or in a fraction of the doses for adults of 0.06-0.15 mSv. In adult head and spinal radiography, effective doses by International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 60 lowered respectively to 1/6-1/9 and 1/3-1/9 of the doses listed in United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2000. (author)