A study on the reduction of radiation dose using carbon fiber-reinforced plastic during X-ray examination of children and infants

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the suitability of an assistive device for radiological examination. A Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) with relatively high transmission factor was used to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure for patients and examiners and maintain a stable examination posture and reduce falling of the infant. An average of 10 entrance surface doses (ESDs) were used for the ATOM Phantom T-spine (T6) and the Rando Phantom Thyroid (T), Inguinal Area (I), and Eye Ball (E) for patients and examiners during each infant chest X-ray examination. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were also measured and analyzed via paired sample T-test and Pearson's correlation analysis using SPSS statistics version 21.0 (Chicago, IL, U.S.A.) to quantitatively evaluate changes in image quality before and after using the ancillary device. During infant chest X-ray examination, EST results were as follow: ESDT6 of infants, 233.70 ± 5.74 μGy; ESTs for the examination assistant: ESDT151.40 ± 4.01 μGy; ESDI, 143.20 ± 3.22 μGy; and ESDE, 146.20 ± 3.19 μGy. When the SNR and CNR values of chest X-ray images involving infants were compared using Pearson's correlation analysis, significant (p < 0.001) differences were found between values obtained before and after applying the ancillary device. The radiological examination assist device can stabilize the infant's posture during examination. Thus, it can reduce unnecessary exposure of patients and examination assistants to radiation, ultimately improving the safety of infant X-ray examinations.