| | Patient doses from common proceduresTypical effective doses, equivalent periods of natural background radiation and lifetime fatal cancer risks from diagnostic medical exposures: Diagnostic
procedure | Typical effective
doses (mSv) | Equivalent period of natural
background radiation | Lifetime additional risk of
fatal cancer per examination | | Limbs and joints (except hip) | <0.01 | <1.5 days | 1 in a few million | | Teeth (single bitewing) | <0.01 | <1.5 days | 1 in a few million | | Teeth (panoramic) | 0.01 | 1.5 days | 1 in 2 million | | Chest (single PA film) | 0.02 | 3 days | 1 in a million | | Skull | 0.07 | 11 days | 1 in 300,000 | | Cervical spine (neck) | 0.08 | 2 weeks | 1 in 200,000 | | Hip | 0.3 | 7 weeks | 1 in 67,000 | | Thoracic spine | 0.7 | 4 months | 1 in 30,000 | | Pelvis | 0.7 | 4 months | 1 in 30,000 | | Abdomen | 0.7 | 4 months | 1 in 30,000 | | Lumbar spine | 1.3 | 7 months | 1 in 15,000 | | Barium swallow | 1.5 | 8 months | 1 in 13,000 | | IVU (kidneys and bladder) | 2.5 | 14 months | 1 in 8000 | | Barium meal | 3 | 16 months | 1 in 6700 | | Barium follow | 3 | 16 months | 1 in 6700 | | Barium enema | 7 | 3.2 years | 1 in 3000 | | CT head | 2 | 1 year | 1 in 10,000 | | CT chest | 8 | 3.6 years | 1 in 2500 | | CT abdomen/pelvis | 10 | 4.5 years | 1 in 2000 | | Lung ventilation (Kr-81m) | 0.1 | 2.4 weeks | 1 in 200,000 | | Lung perfusion (Tc-99m) | 1 | 6 months | 1 in 20,000 | | Kidney scan (Tc-99m) | 1 | 6 months | 1 in 20,000 | | Thyroid scan (Tc-99m) | 1 | 6 months | 1 in 20,000 | | Bone scan (Tc-99m) | 4 | 2 years | 1 in 5000 | | Dynamic cardiac (Tc-99m) | 6 | 2.7 years | 1 in 3300 | | Myocardial perfusion (Tl-201) | 18 | 8 years | 1 in 1100 |
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