Dose-reducing strategies in combination offers substantial potential benefits to females requiring X-ray examination

This work, using an adult anthropomorphic phantom, aimed to establish an optimised technique for ladies of child-bearing age undergoing antero-posterior (AP) pelvis and AP and lateral lumbar spine examinations. Phase one of the work involved introducing the following dose-reducing measures individually: increased kVp, increased focus-film distances, a carbon fibre cassette, a faster film/screen combination. The second phase established an optimised technique based on a combination of the parameters listed above. Radiation dose was measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters and image quality was evaluated using anatomical criteria. All dose-reducing methods were compared with a standard technique, currently being used in a Dublin hospital. The results demonstrated that the optimised procedure reduced effective dose by 77, 62 and 66% for AP pelvis and AP and lateral lumbar spine respectively (p < 0.05) compared with the standard technique, with no significant changes in image quality. Dose-reducing measures used in combination offer substantial potential for optimisation of radiological procedures. (authors)