Risk versus benefit in diagnostic radiology

Abstract

The risks from the use of ionizing radiation in diagnostic radiology have been established, almost from the time at which X-rays were first discovered. The fundamental objectives of radiation protection are to avoid the occurrence of deterministic injuries and to minimize the risk of stochastic effects. The basic principles of radiation protection philosophy are justification and optimization. These principles are applied to ensure that diagnostic radiology procedures are safe. Implicit in the application of these principles is that the benefit/risk ratio is evaluated for all procedures. In practice, very little scientific work has been performed in this area, with the main exception of screening mammography. This article describes some of the problems in applying the justification principal in diagnostic radiology. An example calculation for screening mammography is given.