Radiation exposure and estimated risk of radiation-induced cancer from thoracic and abdominal radiographs in 1307 neonates.
retrospective_cohort · Level III
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39014087.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1007/s00330-024-10942-x and PMC identifier 11632034.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
This study examined radiation exposure and the possible risk of radiation-induced cancer in a large sample of newborn and premature patients. In this retrospective study, we included all hospitalised neonates treated at our university hospital who received at least one X-ray examination from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2018. We evaluated the dose area product (DAP), effective dose (ED), and estimated risk. The International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 60 defines values (2.8-13 × 10<sup>-2 </sup>Sv<sup>-1</sup>) to calculate the estimated risk in relation to the ED. Of the 3843 patients (aged 241.1 ± 35.45 days) treated in the neonatal care unit, 1307 (34%) received at least one X-ray. The mean number of X-ray examinations per patient was 3.19 and correlated negatively with birth weight. The mean cumulative DAP was 5.9 mGy*cm<sup>2</sup>, and the cumulative ED was 23.7 µSv per hospital stay. Patients with a birth weight of < 1000 g showed the highest cumulative ED and DAP (p < 0.001). Patients with a birth weight of < 2500 g had the highest ED and DAP per image (p < 0.001). The highest radiation exposure (ED/DAP) occurred for thoracic/abdominal examinations, especially for neonates < 500 g (p < 0.001). There is a strong correlation between immaturity, the number of X-ray examinations, and radiation exposure. The total exposure was minimal, and the number of X-rays per patient has been decreasing in recent years. Possible risks to newborns and premature infants caused by ionising X-rays are often the subject of scientific and clinical discussion. Nevertheless, conventional X-ray imaging remains a frequently used tool, and total exposure remains at a very low level. The number of X-rays per patient has been decreasing in a large university hospital. Half of all patients received only one X-ray; most had a birth weight over 1500 g. This radiation risk can be classified as 'minimal' for patients with a birth weight of < 500 g and as 'negligible' for others.
Medical subject headings
- Radiation Exposure
- Radiography, Thoracic
- Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced
- Radiation Dosage
- Radiography, Abdominal