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X-ray (exposure to ionising radiation)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Diagnostic examination effective doses (mSv)

  • single x-ray
    • skull (PA and lateral) (0.04)
    • limb or joint (0.06)
    • chest (PA) (0.02), chest (lateral) (0.04)
    • abdomen (0.7)

  • contrast examination, x-ray series or CT
    • cervical (0.27), thoracic (1.4), lumbar (1.8) series
    • intravenous urogram (2.5)
    • barium enema (7.0)
    • CT abdomen (10)

Notes:

  • data reveal that the lumbar spine series has 90 times and a joint x-ray 3 times the radiation dose of a posteroanterior (PA) chest x-ray

  • the average background annual absorbed dose in the UK is around 2.5 mSv (equivalent to 125 PA chest x-rays)

  • an abdominal computerised tomography (CT) scan (500 frontal chest x-ray equivalents) in a teenager is thought to raise the lifetime risk of inducing haematological malignancy to 1 in 1000

Reference:

  • 1) Arthritis Research UK (Summer 2013). Hands on - Musculoskeletal imaging for GPs.

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