Pelvic radiation dose measurement for trauma patients in multifield radiographic examinations: A phantom‐based TLD dosimetry study

Background and Aims Trauma patients often suffer from multiple injuries and require undergoing various radiography which is referred to as multifield radiographic examinations. Protective measures may be ignored for these examinations due to stressful emergency situations or patients' conditions. This study was conducted to evaluate the scattered doses received by the pelvis during different common multifield radiographic examinations with an emphasis on field size adjustment. Methods A whole‐body phantom, PBU‐50, resembling the body mass, was used to carry out the common examinations for trauma patients (extremities, skull, chest, abdomen, pelvis, femur, and lumbar radiography), using a Pars Pad X‐ray machine. To measure the primary entrance skin doses, three calibrated GR 200 thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD) chips were placed in the central X‐ray beam of scanned organs. Three TLDs were also placed on the pelvis symphysis pubis to measure the scattered dose received by the pelvis due to each carried‐out radiography for standard and clinically used field sizes. A Harshaw 3500 TLD Reader was used to read the chips. TLD readouts (nano‐Coulomb) were converted to dose (milli Gray [mGy]) using the predefined calibration curve. Results The scattered doses to the pelvis due to scanning a single organ differed from 0.80 to 1.70, and 0.82 to 4.09 mGy for standard and clinically used field sizes, respectively. The scattered doses to the pelvis in multifield examinations varied from 0.80 to 8.43 and 0.82 to 13.6 mGy for standard and clinically used field sizes, respectively, depending on the number of scanned organs and their distances from the pelvis. Conclusions Multiple and repeated radiographs combined with insufficient protective measures can increase the patient's dose. The findings indicate that the scattered doses received by the pelvis can exceed the reference values in multifield radiography, especially if the radiation field is not restricted properly to the scanned organ. Highlights Scattered doses to the pelvis can exceed reference values in multifield radiography. Number and distances of scanned organs from the pelvis affected received doses by the pelvis. Scattered doses received by the pelvis varied significantly between clinically used and standard field sizes. Radiation field restriction is strongly needed in multifield radiography examinations.