The Gonadal X-Ray Dose to Children from Diagnostic Radiographic Technics

Abstract

Measurements were determined of the x-ray dose to the gonads of children from some of the basic radiographic techniques. Ionization chamber measurements were made on wax phantoms representing children of 6 months, 4 years, and 12 years of age. Comparisons were made between the doses received from the various techniques. The following conclusions can be drawn from the data: examinations in which the gonads are within the primary x-ray beam contribute by far the greatest gonadal dose per film; the difference between the male and female gonadal dose for a given radiographic examination is not lare, except for the type of study where the gonads of a child of one sex would be inside the primary beam and those of the other sex outside; under conditions of good collimation the variation of gonadal dose with age is small; limiting the x-ray beam to the area under examination by means of an adjustable rectangular collimator always reduces the gonadal dose, often to a large degree. This practice also improves the quality of the resulting radiograph by reducing the amount of scattered radiation reaching the film.