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The Quantity of Radiation Received by the Reproductive Organs of Patients during Routine Diagnostic X-ray Examinations

Physics Department, Guy's Hospital Medical School, and the Diagnostic X-ray Department, Guy's Hospital, London

This excerpt was created in the absence of an abstract.

Recent increases in the number of diagnostic X-ray examinations made in this country have caused attention to be paid to the quantity of radiation delivered to the population at large as a result of the X-ray examination of individuals. It is at present impossible to assess the possible genetical effects of such irradiation, and in all diagnostic measures it is essential that the least possible amount of radiation should reach the reproductive organs of patients, especially during childhood and the early part of adult life.

Radiation can reach the reproductive organs either from the direct beam during investigations of the pelvic region or by scatter during investigations of other parts of the body. For males it can be measured directly by placing a suitable instrument in contact with the scrotum during the radiographic examination. For females, the quantity can only be deduced from measurements made on the skin, and the determination of factors to convert these into "ovary doses" becomes the primary problem. The work described in this paper included: measurement of the radiation reaching suitably a selected point on the skin for female patients during each routine type of diagnostic procedure; the determination of the factors necessary to convert these into ovary doses; deduction of the radiation received by the reproductive organs for male and female patients; and a statistical analysis to find the relative numbers of individuals exposed in each diagnostic procedure and how often they are exposed.

Accepted for publication September 1, 1954.

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