Patients' dosimetry during lumbar radiographic examination (Lat) in certain hospitals at Dhi Qar governorate, Iraq

Abstract

The work is aimed at investigating the entrance surface dose (ESD) for adult patients undertaking routine lumbar X-ray examination, and therefore ensure that the patients receive no excessive radiation dose during this radiography. This study was conducted at 4 selected hospitals: Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital (AHTH), Al-Nasiriyah Teaching Hospital (ANTH), Al-Haboubi Teaching Hospital (AHTH) and Souq Al-Shuyoukh General Hospital (SASGH) in Dhi Qar, Iraq. The ESD was calculated for 102 adult patients who underwent X-ray examinations of the lumbar spine using the physical parameters (i.e. Tube voltage-kVp, Tube loading- mAs and distance between X-ray tube and detector- SID) from all considered X-ray units, as well as on the X-ray tube output that was measured using an ionization chamber (Rad-Check Plus). The enrolled patients also had their demographic information recorded (gender, weight and height). The finding demonstrated that the average ESD values were (4.886, 4.288, 6.047, 6.378, 5.949, 9.322, 12.731, 4.094) mGy for AHTH1, AHTH2, AHTH3, ANTH1, ANTH2, ANTH3, AHTH, SASGH, respectively. The ESD values were seen to be comparable with internationally recognized sources UNSCEAR 2010, UK 2012, EC, and IAEA and with previously published studies such as those in Sudan 2014, Iran 2020, Nigeria 2019, and Ghana 2023. Finally, further studies must be carried out, and the relevant institutions must conduct continuous training courses for radiographers to ensure that the radiation dose is within the recommended level.