Assessing the dose values received by patients during conventional radiography X-ray examinations and the technical condition of the equipment used for this purpose

Abstract

Background: X-ray examination is associated with patient exposure to ionizing radiation. Dose values depend on the type of medical procedure used, the X-ray unit technical condition and exposure conditions selected. The aim of this study was to determine the dose value received by patients during certain conventional radiography X-ray examinations and to assess the technical condition of medical equipment used for this purpose. Material and Methods: The study covered the total number of 118 conventional diagnostic X-ray units located in the Masovian Voivodeship. The methodology used to assess the conventional diagnostic X-ray unit technical condition and the measurement of the radiation dose rate received by patients are based on test procedures developed by the Department of Radiation Protection and Radiobiology of the National Institute of Public Health -National Institute of Hygiene (Warszawa, Poland) accredited for compliance with PN-EN 17025 standard by the Polish Centre for Accreditation. Results: It was found that 84.7% of X-ray units fully meet the criteria set out in the Polish legislation regarding the safe use of ionizing radiation in medicine, while 15.3% of the units do not meet some of them. The broadest dose value range was recorded for adult patients. Particularly, during lateral (LAT) lumbar spine radiography the recorded entrance surface dose (ESD) values ranged from 283.5 to 7827 μGy (mean: 2183.3 μGy). Conclusions: It is absolutely necessary to constantly monitor the technical condition of all X-ray units, because it affects population exposure to ionizing radiation. Furthermore, it is essential to raise radiographers' awareness of the effects that ionizing radiation exposure can have on the human body. Med Pr 2014;65(6):715-721 StreszczenieWstęp: Wykonywanie badań rentgenowskich wiąże się z narażeniem pacjenta na działanie promieniowania jonizującego. Wielkość tego narażenia zależna jest od wykonywanej procedury medycznej, stanu technicznego aparatu rentgenowskiego i dobranych warunków ekspozycji. Celem niniejszych badań było określenie wielkości dawek, na jakie narażeni są pacjenci podczas wybranych ogólnodiagnostycznych badań rentgenowskich oraz ocena stanu technicznego używanej aparatury medycznej. Materiał i metody: Badaniami objęto łącznie 118 ogólnodiagnostycznych aparatów rentgenowskich, zlokalizowanych na terenie województwa mazowieckiego. Metodyka badań dotycząca oceny ich stanu technicznego i pomiaru dawek otrzymywanych przez pacjentów oparta została na opracowanych w Zakładzie Higieny Radiacyjnej i Radiobiologii (Narodowy Instytut Zdrowia Publicznego -Państwowy Zakład Higieny) procedurach badawczych, akredytowanych na zgodność z normą PN-EN 17025 przez Polskie Centrum Akredytacji. Wyniki: W wyniku przeprowadzonych badań stwierdzono, że 84,7% aparatów w pełni spełnia kryteria określone w polskim ustawodawstwie dotyczącym zasad bezpiecznego stosowania promieniowania jonizującego w medycynie, a 15,3% nie spełnia części z nich. Największą rozpiętość otrzymywanych dawek zaobserwowano u ...

Dosages of ionizing radiation during limb diagnostic X-ray examinations

“…It should be noted that the dose received during the limb X-ray examinations is not relatively high as compared to other X-rays procedures [6].…”

“…The results should help doctors in making the decision about sending patients for X-ray examination. This study is complementary to the earlier research which focused on other X-ray procedures [6]. The examinations were conducted in the Masovian Voivodeship since it is the biggest voivodeship in Poland with the highest number of inhabitants.…”

“…Knowing the number of X-ray units in use, some preliminary (pilot) research was carried out to determine the sample size for the main research. It was decided that the analysis should have covered at least 63 units, while finally the measurements were performed on 118 X-ray units in 56 health facilities [6].…”

“…When choosing the facilities, its type (a hospital, clinic, or private medical center) and location (the capital city of Warszawa, Poland, and other voivodeships' cities) were taken into account. Before commencing to measure the dose values received by patients, each time the technical condition of the X-ray unit had used to perform the conventional X-ray examination had been assessed [6,7], according to the applicable regulations of the Minister of Health [3].…”