title: EFFECTIVE DOSE TO PATIENTS FROM THORACIC SPINE EXAMINATIONS WITH TOMOSYNTHESIS.
abstract: The purposes of the present work were to calculate the average effective dose to patients from lateral tomosynthesis examinations of the thoracic spine, compare the results with the corresponding conventional examination and to determine a conversion factor between dose-area product (DAP) and effective dose for the tomosynthesis examination. Thoracic spine examinations from 17 patients were included in the study. The registered DAP and information about the field size for each projection radiograph were, together with patient height and mass, used to calculate the effective dose for each projection radiograph. The total effective doses for the tomosynthesis examinations were obtained by adding the effective doses from the 60 projection radiographs included in the examination. The mean effective dose was 0.47 mSv (range 0.24-0.81 mSv) for the tomosynthesis examinations and 0.20 mSv (range 0.07-0.29 mSv) for the corresponding conventional examinations (anteroposterior + left lateral projection). For the tomosynthesis examinations, a conversion factor between total DAP and effective dose of 0.092 mSv Gycm(-2) was obtained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Radiation Physics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden angelica.svalkvist@vgregion.se.
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svalkvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Physics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Söderman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Radiation Physics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Båth
mesh_terms: D065638:Absorption, Radiation; D000368:Aged; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D000069079:Radiation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000528:radiation effects; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*