A Study of Entrance Surface Air Kerma for Patients Undergoing Chest and Abdomen from Digital Radiography at Chulabhorn Hospital

Abstract

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the typical dose for standard-sized patients in chest (posteroanterior; PA) and abdomen (anteroposterior; AP) digital radiography.Material and Methods: The air kerma was measured by the ionization chamber (Radical Corporation, model 10X6-6) in X-ray equipment manufactured by General Electric Healthcare Definium 8000 System for different kilovoltage peak (kVp) settings in each X-ray examination. The entrance surface air kerma (ESAK) was determined in 422 mediumsized patients in different projections: chest (PA) and abdomen (AP), according to the recommended protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Report Series Number 457 (Technical Reports Series No. 457 “Dosimetry in Diagnostic Radiology: An International Code of Practice).Results: The mean entrance surface air kerma values for chest (PA) radiography in female and male patients were 0.08 milligray (mGy) and 0.09 mGy, respectively and for abdomen (AP) radiography for both genders were 0.98 mGy and 1.06 mGy, respectively.Conclusion: The mean entrance surface air kerma values of this study were less than the diagnostic reference levels from the IAEA 1996, Korea 2007, United Kingdom 2010 and Japan 2015, in all projections. Patient doses (ESAK) in chest (PA) and abdomen (AP) digital radiography at Chulabhorn Hospital were less than the other guidelines, because of the use of a high kVp technique for the chest and the automatic exposure control for the abdomen. Furthermore, Thai people are smaller than Westerners. We studied in digital radiography only that literally provides lowest radiation dose compares with screen film and computed radiography.