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Radiation exposure by digital radiographic imaging in very low birth weight infants

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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the cumulative effective doses (CED) from digital radiographic imaging in very low birth weight infants treated in a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Study design

The CED for each infant was retrospectively calculated using a voxel-based model. The results were compared with previous studies applying conventional radiography.

Results

Two hundred and six preterm infants were included into this study. Neonates received a median of four radiographs (range: 1–68) and a CED of 50 µSv (4–883 µSv). Overall mean CED was lower than in previously published data applying conventional radiography. Factors contributing to a lower radiation dose per infant in our study were a lower number of radiographs and smaller field sizes per radiographic image.

Conclusions

The number of conducted radiographs per patient and the employed field size had a higher impact on the CED than the applied radiographic technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, University Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Chinedu U. Ebenebe, Christophe Barreau, Philipp Deindl & Dominique Singer

  2. Department of Radiotherapy and Radio-Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Jonathan Waschkewitz

  3. Institute of Radiation Protection, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany

    Helmut Schlattl

  4. Department of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Hans O. Pinnschmidt

  5. Section of Pediatric Radiology, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Jochen Herrmann

Authors
  1. Chinedu U. Ebenebe
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  2. Christophe Barreau
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  3. Jonathan Waschkewitz
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  4. Helmut Schlattl
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  5. Hans O. Pinnschmidt
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  6. Philipp Deindl
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  7. Dominique Singer
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  8. Jochen Herrmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chinedu U. Ebenebe.

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Ebenebe, C.U., Barreau, C., Waschkewitz, J. et al. Radiation exposure by digital radiographic imaging in very low birth weight infants. J Perinatol 39, 115–119 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0276-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0276-7

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