Introduction: Ribs are scanned in an anteroposterior or posteroanterior projection, rarely also in a half-side projection. We can scan with the patient standing or laying down. While scanning, it is important for the patient not to breathe, since that can reduce the sharpness of the anatomical structures on the radiograph. When conducting diagnostic tests with ionizing radiation, we follow the ALARA principle. The doses discussed in radiology are the absorbed, effective and equivalent dose. The practical dosimetric amounts which are commonly measured in classic radiology are the entrance skin dose and the dose area product. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma work is to compare the dose area product and the effective dose when imaging the ribs in the AP or PA projections, and the difference in the doses' exposure on the organs. Methods of work: In the Faculty of Health Sciences' laboratory, we scanned an anthropomorphic phantom with the Multifix/Vertix X-ray scanner, on which we measured the dose area product and the image field's area. We scanned the phantom in the AP and PA projections on the examination table. We produced 20 radiographs, 10 in the AP projection and 10 in the PA projection. The size of the image field was 35×43 cm, with the distance of 115 cm. The dose of the ionizing radiation was measured with the DAP measurement. With the PCXMC computer program, we calculated the information about the dose exposure on the organs in the chest (bone marrow, breasts, heart, liver, lungs, limfatic tissue, esophagus, pancreas, spleen, stomach thymus and thyroid). Results: On the basis of the obtained results, we established that the difference of the average value of the dose area product in the AP and PA projections is 21,76 % and the difference in the effective dose is 60,38%, both in favour of the PA projection. We also compared the data of the dose exposure on selected organs and established that all of them received a lower dose in the PA projection, except for the bone marrow and spleen, which received a lower dose in the AP projection. Discussion and conclusion: With this diploma thesis, we showed that the PA projection is the method of choice when wanting to reduce the dose exposure on the organs, since it allows us to avoid the direct irradiation of radiosensitive organs. Scanning in the PA projection is an easy way of reducing the radiation dose.
|