Estimation of Fetal Radiation Dose from Computed Tomography Scanning in Late Pregnancy

Abstract

To provide depth-dose data for estimating fetal radiation dose from routine computed tomography (CT) examinations of the trunk. Doses were measured during CT examinations of the thorax, upper abdomen, abdomen, and pelvis in two anthropomorphic phantoms simulating pregnant women in the second and third trimesters. Thermoluminescent dose meters were used for dose measurements. In CT examinations of the abdomen, doses of 30.0 to 43.6 mGy and of 29.1 to 42.0 mGy were measured at the measuring points in the phantom simulating pregnancy in the second and third trimesters, respectively. In CT examinations of the upper abdomen, pelvis, and thorax, both phantoms received lower doses of radiation. Knowledge of the normalized weighted dose index of the CT scanner and of the kVp and mAs settings of the protocol used for examination of the pregnant woman is needed to adjust the dose data found in the present study to modified protocols and different CT equipment. These dosimetric data may be used to guide the management of pregnant patients undergoing CT examinations of the trunk.