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Background and purpose: Regarding the importance of radiographic techniques in diagnosis and increasing use of them and development of new techniques from one side, and inappropriate administration of these methods and patient and personnel exposure to undesirable effects of radiation from the other side, it seems that measurement of exposure dose in routine radiographic examinations and presentation of essential information and guidance are necessary. The aim of this research is to determine the entrance surface dose of patients in radiographic techniques of chest and skull and to compare it with standards for these examinations established by national and international organizations.
Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, six X-ray generators in six hospitals of Mazandaran University of medical sciences were included. A total of 120 patients referring to radiology wards for radiographic examinations of chest and skull with normal BMI were chosen. (20 patients for each radiography unit).In addition, the six generators were matched for mAs, kvp, the type of amplifier sheets, and technical conditions as much as possible so that the amount of surface dose would not depend on the mentioned items. We used thermo luminescence dosimeters in order to measure the surface dose (Lif-100).Thermo luminescence dosimeters (TLD) were placed on patients’ back and skin after calibration and the results were read by TLD readers after radiation.
Results: The results of measuring surface skin dose were 0.51 m Gray for PA CXR,3.36 m Gray for LAT CXR,7.25 m Gray for AP or PA skull X-rays, and 7.59 m Gray for LAT skull X-rays. These results were higher comparing to established standards.
Conclusion: The results showed that to reduce the patients’ surface dose, in addition to improve the conditions of radiographic units, there must be some educational courses. We can reach much more desirable results by continuous supervision and study on promotion of technical knowledge and protection and observance of radiation protection recommendations.
Keywords: Radiology standards, Dosimetry, Radiography, TLD.