Any radiographers get in here?

[Alun]

I have just had a report back from a pelvis/spinal xray and there is a bit on the bottom that says accumulated radiation dose 995uSv, equivalent to 110 chest xrays.

Can anyone tell me what this means?

Is it a lot?

Cheers,

Alun

 

[Arcam_boy]

turn the lights off and see if your glowing

 

[Perceval]

I have just had a report back from a pelvis/spinal xray and there is a bit on the bottom that says accumulated radiation dose 995uSv, equivalent to 110 chest xrays.

Can anyone tell me what this means?

Is it a lot?

Cheers,

Alun

Be proud - you are the first walking Chernobyl







Edit: Seriously I think it just refers to the amount of irradiation required due to the bone density down there. Chest X-rays I would have thought are the lowest factor. I could well be wrong though.

 

[Derek S-H]

Alun

Have PM'd you.
Derek

 

[GasDad]

turn the lights off and see if your glowing

3 years ago following a PET scan, I walked into Dixons and put my hand against a switched of CRT and created a phosphor glow.

Don't think the OP will be that radioactive (and the radiation he's talking about is less than you get in a CT scan).

 

[Reign-Mack]

I think thats slihlty different from an xray in that with the scans they actually put something radioactive into your systems so that they come up in 3D.

 

[GasDad]

I think thats slihlty different from an xray in that with the scans they actually put something radioactive into your systems so that they come up in 3D.

True - very weird experience - you have to sit entirely still after an injection (not allowed to read) for an hour, before the actual scan. Afterwards you are not allowed near young children for 6 hours.

 

[norks27]

Hi alun - pm'd you.

Basically to put it into a perspective.

Sievert is a measure of the 'Equivalent Dose' of radiation and takes into account biological effects. Wikipedia has a decent explanation.

995 micro Sieverts or 0.995 milli Sieverts is approximately equivalent to 5 months worth of normal background radiation.

Depending on where you live depends on the level, the range is approximately 1.5 to 7.5 milli Sieverts, and the average is 2.2 milli Sieverts.


Various x-ray examinations carry different levels of radiation dose.
Here are a few listed with equivalent time worth of normal background radiation:

Chest X-Ray - 3 days
Abdomen X-Ray - 6 months
Barium Enema - 3.2 years
CT Scan of the Head - 1 year
CT Scan of the Abdomen - 4.5 years
Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan - 1.8 years.


These are just averages. It also depends on the patient, how big they are for instance. The larger the patient the more 'juice' you have to give in order to get a diagnostic image, so if you are skinny then a CT scan of the Abdomen might be worth only 3 years of background radiation instead of 4.5. Conversley if you are obese then the dose would be higher.

One bit of advice for all would be to question your Dr, why are they sending you for an X-ray, is it strictly necessary? Will it help the Dr make a diagnosis and plan treatment or does the Dr just like to fill in forms.

The biggest complaint from Radiographers is the quantity of unecessary X-rays prescribed by Dr's.

 

[Alun]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. I was sent for an xray for a suspected fractured pelvis. Turned out ok. just on diclofenac for a month now

 

[Tony Ferrino]

The doctor who sent you for the xray and the radiographer who carried it out would have weighed up the risks/benefits when justifying the radiation exposure they were going to give you. Pelvis fractures can, depending on where they are, be extremely dangerous due to the amount of soft tissue that can also be damaged. In my experience, if a radiographer saw "XR Pelvis: ?# " on a request, that would indicate that the risk from the xray was certainly outweighed by the benefit you would get from the result.