Radiation Exposure From CT Scanning in the Resuscitative Phase of Trauma Care: A Level One Trauma Centre Experience.

Objectives: The initial management of a trauma patient often involves imaging in the form of x-rays, computed tomography (CT) and other radiographic studies, which expose the patient to ionizing radiation, an entity known to cause tissue injury and malignancy at high doses. The purpose of this study was to use a calculation-based method to determine the radiation exposure of trauma patients undergoing trauma team activation in a Canadian tertiary-care trauma centre.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted using the Nova Scotia Provincial Trauma Registry.

Local diagnostic reference levels for typical radiographic procedures.

Purpose: To establish local diagnostic reference levels (DRL) for typical radiographic examinations in a fully digital imaging institution.

Methods: The initial survey included 6 standard radiographic projections performed in 19 computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) rooms. Because of the expected difference in the performance, the local reference levels were analysed separately for those 2 modalities.

The Effectiveness of Surface Lead Shielding of Gonads Outside the Primary X-ray Beam.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of surface radiation shields of gonads outside the primary x-ray beam.

Methods: Radiographic and computed tomography air kerma measurements were made on a standard anthropomorphic phantom to quantify the amount of external and internal scatter radiation to the gonads of males and females. These amounts were calculated from air kerma measurements using three different methods: with no shielding, with surface lead shields, and with axial lead shields located between the gonads and the primary x-ray beam.