Supine and erect abdominal radiography: A comparison of radiation dose and image quality

Abdominal radiographs are often the first diagnostic imaging tool for patients with acute abdominal pain. In most cases, a supine X-ray is sufficient, but in some cases, an erect abdominal radiograph may be warranted and can provide additional benefits. The aim of this study was to compare erect and supine projections in terms of radiation dose and image quality. Body mass index (BMI), sagittal body thickness, dose area product (DAP)and effective dose (ED) data were collected for 81 patients referred for digital abdominal radiography in both the supine and erect positions. The ED was estimated by inserting the dose area product (DAP) for each projection into the dose modelling computer software PCXMC 2.0. Image quality was assessed by both visual and quantitative methods. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) ED was 0.4 ± 0.3 and 0.2 ± 0.1 mSv for erect and supine projections, respectively (p