Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-23-2021
Faculty Sponsor
Natalie Mourant
Abstract
The importance of the research completed was to acquire knowledge in regard to secondary radiation doses received by the eyes of the patient and thyroid region during radiographic upper extremity exams. The radiographic exams studied include the following exams: left posteroanterior (PA) hand, left anteroposterior (AP) elbow, and a right transaxillary shoulder projection. The focus of the study was to ascertain whether patient head position during such exams had a reducing effect on absorbed dose. Additionally, this data was compared with previously published literature, in order to establish whether or not the recorded doses are capable or otherwise significant in causing certain deterministic biological tissue effects. The data collected was the result of multiple phantom experiments conducted in a radiography laboratory room of a Pacific Northwest mid sized university. The findings of this research study potentially indicates that head position in relation to the primary beam may influence the amount of absorbed scatter radiation dose received by radiosensitive areas such as the eyes and thyroid region of a patient. Furthermore, an extensive literary review of similar dose recording studies suggest that a correlation is shared between head position and reducing effects of scattered radiation received by the eyes and thyroid based off of their proximity to the primary beam.
Recommended Citation
Schneider, Alexis G. and Gagliardi, Sam A., "Scatter Radiation & the Threat it Poses to Patients' Radiosensitive Areas: A Phantom Study" (2021). 2021 Undergraduate Research Showcase. 107.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/under_showcase_2021/107