Radiation doses to paediatric patients up to 5 years of age undergoing micturating cystourethrography examinations and its dependence on patient age: a Monte Carlo study

Abstract

The effective dose received by children up to 5 years of age from micturating cystourethrography (MCU) examinations was estimated in this study. The MCU examination consisted of 5 radiological views, 2 anteroposterior (AP) and three oblique (OBL) views. Entrance surface doses (ESD) were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters for 30 children. The average ESD values per view varied from 0.34 mGy up to 0.57 mGy. In order to calculate the organ and effective doses, Monte Carlo MCNP-4A radiation transport simulation code was used. It was applied to three mathematical phantoms representing newborn, 1 and 5 year old children and all the patients were classified in those three groups. The effective dose conversion factors (C(f)) were calculated as the ratio of effective dose over the entrance dose. The C(f) factors decrease as the children's age increases. Children simulated by a newborn mathematical phantom, had C(f) factors almost double those represented by a 1-year-old mathematical phantom. For children simulated by a 5 year old phantom, the C(f) factors for AP and OBL views were almost the same. This was true for both male and female patients. The mean effective dose per view for male and female patients was found to be E=0.16 mSv. The effective dose per examination for male patients was E=0.86+/-0.31 mSv and E=0.76+/-0.28 mSv for female patients.

Fluoroscopy-controlled voiding cystourethrography in infants and children: Are the radiation risks trivial?

“…i.e.. 120 vs. 400 in the current study. Moderate differences observed between the current data on the effective dose associated with pediatric patients undergoing VCUG with the results of Schultz et al [15], Fotakis et al [16] and Persliden et al [17] may be attributed to the considerable deviations in the average procedure adopted in different institutions. The total probability of stochastic radiogenic effects (carcinogenesis + hereditary) may be only roughly estimated by using the effective dose data and the aggregated stochastic detriment coefficient proposed by the International Commission of Radiological Protection, i.e., 0.073 per Sv of effective dose [10].…”

“…Current data may be taken into account if fluoroscopically controlled voiding cystourethrography performed in pediatric patients is to be adequately justified against alternative diagnostic tests. The radiation burden expressed in terms of effective dose associated with pediatric patients undergoing voiding cystourethrography has been reported in several articles [14][15][16][17]. In Table 4, previously reported data on effective dose to pediatric patients undergoing VCUG are compared with current results.…”

Pediatric Radiation Exposure and Effective Dose Reduction during Voiding Cystourethrography

“…In our study, patient skin dose increased with abdominal diameter as is commonly expected; however, the effective dose decreased primarily because of the large reduction in the bone surface dose, which is one of the components of effective dose calculations. Reduction of the ratio of effective dose to entrance dose as a function of patient size has been previously reported (39).…”

Assessment of radiation risk to pediatric patients undergoing conventional X-ray examinations

“…4-7) and the radiation sensitivity of some organs such as the breasts, gonads and prostate are different in male and female patients. Table 3 shows that for all X-ray examinations, the effective dose increases with increasing age, but on the other hand, according to the literature (Fotakis et al, 2003), for children the radiation risk per unit dose is 2 to 3 times higher than the average population. Considering the two facts above, new and exciting results were extracted in this study.…”