Measuring the Entrance Surface Dose and Effective Dose for Chest and Abdomen X-ray Examinations in Hamedan, Iran and their Comparison with International Standards

Background and By increasing use of X-ray in medical diagnosis, it is essential to gain awareness on the amount of absorbed dose in patients according to the world standard levels. The aim of this study was to estimate the entrance surface dose (ESD) and effective dose (ED) of the patients in imaging (chest and abdomen) with diagnostic radiology systems in Hamadan, Iran; and comparing the results with those reported from other cities of Iran and the safety standards proposed by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The participants included 10 patients attending Hamedan radiology centers. Three thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) were used to measure the dose of each patient. The measurements were performed for each organ and system and the information of patients, system, and exposure conditions was recorded. Then, the ESD and ED values were calculated and the results were compared with those reported by other studies and the IAEA standard levels.
The ESD values showed no significant difference between various models of radiology systems (P>0.05). The mean ESD values in current study for chest and abdomen X-ray were 0.43±0.09 and 2.51±0.19 mGy, repectively. The mean ED values for chest and abdomen radiology were 0.05 and 0.33 mSv, respectively.
The ESD value calculated for chest X-ray was higher than that suggested by IAEA, but this value for abdomen was found to be lower than that accepted by IAEA. Moreover, the mean ED values for both chest and abdomen radiology examinations were lower than those proposed by the IAEA.