Use of radiation in health care
Radiation doses of radiographic examinations
| Examination | Effective dose (mSv) | Dose equivalence *) as PA images (number of) | Dose equivalence during exposure to background radiation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limb, e.g. knee | 0.01 | 0.3 | 1 day |
| Paranasal sinuses | 0.03 | 1 | 3 days |
| Lung (PA view) | 0.03 | 1 | 3 days |
| Lung (PA view and LAT view) | 0.07 | 2 | 8 days |
| Cranial | 0.1 | 3 | 12 days |
| Cervical spine | 0.2 | 7 | 24 days |
| Mammography | 0.2 | 7 | 24 days |
| Thoracic spine | 0,4 | 13 | 1.5 months |
| Pelvis | 0,3 | 10 | 1 month |
| Lumbar vertebrae | 0,8 | 30 | 3 months |
| Abdomen (native) | 0.8 | 30 | 3 months |
| Urinary tract (urography) | 2.4 | 80 | 9 months |
| CT scans | |||
| Head | 1.2 | 40 | 4.5 months |
| Pulmonary | 4 | 130 | 16 months |
| Abdomen | 7 | 230 | 2 years |
| Body | 9 | 300 | 3 years |
| Interventional radiologi | |||
| Coronary artery examination using a contrast medium | 8 | 270 | 2.5 years |
| Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty | 20 | 650 | 6.5 years |
*) PA = posterioranterior views
According to STUK’s investigation, the data presented in the table is equal to the average radiation expo-sure of a person residing in Finland. The doses caused by both background radiation and X-ray examinations vary in different locations. Variation in excess of 30 per cent is not uncommon.