How many rad in chest x ray

Vitals are normal but due to slightly decreased breath sounds on the left, you are concerned for pneumothorax. ECG is normal. No other complaints. She just urinated and does not need labs and wants to just get her chest x-ray already.

If so, your doctor will explain why. Sometimes a follow-up exam further evaluates a potential issue with more views or a special imaging technique. It may also see if there has been any change in an issue over time. Follow-up exams are often the best way to see if treatment is working or if a problem needs attention. Doctors take special care during x-ray exams to use the lowest radiation dose possible while producing the best images for evaluation.

National and international radiology protection organizations continually review and update the technique standards radiology professionals use. Modern x-ray systems minimize stray scatter radiation by using controlled x-ray beams and dose control methods. This ensures that the areas of your body not being imaged receive minimal radiation exposure.

The chest x-ray is a very useful examination, but it has limitations. Because some conditions of the chest cannot be detected on a conventional chest x-ray image, this examination cannot necessarily rule out all problems in the chest.

For example, small cancers may not show up on a chest x-ray. A blood clot in the lungs, a condition called a pulmonary embolism , cannot be seen on chest x-rays. Further imaging studies may be necessary to clarify the results of a chest x-ray or to look for abnormalities not visible on the chest x-ray.

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Please contact your physician with specific medical questions or for a referral to a radiologist or other physician. To locate a medical imaging or radiation oncology provider in your community, you can search the ACR-accredited facilities database. This website does not provide cost information. The costs for specific medical imaging tests, treatments and procedures may vary by geographic region. Web page review process: This Web page is reviewed regularly by a physician with expertise in the medical area presented and is further reviewed by committees from the Radiological Society of North America RSNA and the American College of Radiology ACR , comprising physicians with expertise in several radiologic areas.

Outside links: For the convenience of our users, RadiologyInfo. Toggle navigation. What is a Chest X-ray Chest Radiography? What are some common uses of the procedure? How should I prepare?

What does the equipment look like? How does the procedure work? The amount of dose depends on the type of x-ray examination. This increase in the possibility of a fatal cancer from radiation can be compared to the natural incidence of fatal cancer in the U.

In other words, for any one person the risk of radiation-induced cancer is much smaller than the natural risk of cancer. If you combine the natural risk of a fatal cancer and the estimated risk from a 10 mSv CT scan, the total risk may increase from chances in to chances in Nevertheless, this small increase in radiation-associated cancer risk for an individual can become a public health concern if large numbers of people undergo increased numbers of CT screening procedures of uncertain benefit.

There is considerable uncertainty regarding the risk estimates for low levels of radiation exposure as commonly experienced in diagnostic radiology procedures. This is because the risk is quite low compared to the natural risk of cancer. At low doses, the radiation-related excess risk, which is thought to be proportional to dose, tends to be dwarfed by statistical and other variation in the background risk level.

To obtain adequate evidence for a statistically valid estimate of cancer risk from exposure to low doses of radiation would require studying millions of people for many years. There are some who question whether there is adequate evidence for a risk of cancer induction at low doses. A physician's caution should not become unreasonable. Concerns of medicolegal liability may lead some caregivers to inappropriately withhold needed x-rays, thus jeopardizing the health of both mother and fetus.

Yet legal liability with exposures less than 5 rad should be minimal and, in fact, many key organizations have declared such exposures to be safe Table 2.

Furthermore, it would be difficult to prove that a given radiograph caused harm in light of the high baseline rate of malformations. Ensuring that radiographs are truly indicated and are ordered in accordance with applicable published guidelines will give further support to a physician's course of action at any review.

If a mother's illness necessitates x-rays, there should usually be no hesitation in ordering the needed study. A woman may fear radiation so much that she believes she should abort a fetus after exposure. Up to 25 percent of exposed women believe their infants are at risk for major malformation. Medically, the additional risk imposed by diagnostic radiation is simply too small to justify terminating a pregnancy. For example, one risk associated with lower-dose radiation is childhood leukemia.

Yet it would be necessary to abort 1, exposed fetuses to prevent one case of leukemia. A pregnant woman who is ill and requires radiographic imaging faces potential risks from her disease to her own health as well as that of her developing infant's. These risks almost always outweigh the minor hazards posed by low-dose radiation exposure.

Physicians should not hesitate to order a study if an appropriate work-up of the mother requires a specific test to guide diagnosis and treatment. However, nonurgent x-rays should be avoided in weeks 10 to 17, the period of greatest CNS sensitivity. When diagnostic imaging is acutely needed, ultrasonography may represent an alternative to ionizing radiation and is considered safe throughout pregnancy.

Patient counseling before radiation exposure will help alleviate anxiety and misunderstandings. Proper communication may also reduce unnecessary litigation in the event of an unexpected outcome. Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. Toppenberg graduated from Loma Linda Calif.

He received a master's degree in medical physics from Emory University, Atlanta, and is certified by the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Medical Physics for each of the disciplines of medical physics: therapeutic oncology, diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine.

Address correspondence to D. Ashley Hill, M. Rollins Ave. Figure 1 is based on data derived from references 4 through 8. Jones KL. Effects of therapeutic, diagnostic, and environmental agents. Maternal-fetal medicine. Philadelphia: Saunders, — Brent RL. The effect of embryonic and fetal exposure to x-ray, microwaves, and ultrasound: counseling the pregnant and nonpregnant patient about these risks.

Semin Oncol. Hall EJ. Scientific view of low-level radiation risks. Radiation exposure in pregnancy. In: Current Problems in Radiology. Technic of pneumoencephalography. Chicago: Year Book Medical, — National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. Medical radiation exposure of pregnant and potentially pregnant women. NCRP Report no. Bethesda, Md. Williams Obstetrics.