IMPACT OF COLLIMATION ON RADIATION EXPOSURE IN ADULT AND PAEDIATRIC DIGITAL X-RAY IMAGING

Satharasinghe, Duminda
Jeyasugiththan, J
Jeyasuthan, M
Amalaraj, T
Abeyweera, A L
Wanninayake, W M N M B
Pallewatte, A S

¹Department of Nuclear Science,, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
²Horizon Campus,, Malabe, Sri Lanka
³Department of Radiology,, Tellippalai Base Hospital, Jaffna, Sri Lanka
⁴Nawaloka Hospital,, Colombo, Sri Lanka
⁵Department of Radiology,, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Corresponding author: e-mail; [email protected]

Received July 13, 2021; revision received September 1, 2021; September 28, 2021; Accepted September 28, 2021

Radiation Protection Dosimetry 197(1):p 19-27, November 2021. | DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncab155

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the collimation practices and quantify the overexposure due to extensive X-ray field area. The study was carried out in four digital X-ray units (including one paediatric X-ray unit). A total of 749 X-ray projections (555 adult and 194 paediatric) were evaluated. In adult X-ray units, the radiation field size was two times larger than the electronically collimated field. In the paediatric unit, the radiation field was 3.7 times larger than the electronic collimated field. The average additional entrance surface dose due to the excess radiation field used in a paediatric X-ray unit varied between 9.3 (2.5%) and 201.4 SymbolGy (10.9%). Therefore, proper pre-patient collimation should be applied whenever feasible, which reduces the patient radiation dose considerably.