Gonad shielding in paediatric pelvic radiography: disadvantages prevail over benefit

Insights into Imaging

Table 6 Mean entrance doses in air, including backscatter, in pelvic radiography according to studies in the past two decades

Age	Ruiz^a et al. [33]		Martin et al. [22]	Kyriou et al. [23]	McDonald^a et al. [24]	Mooney and Thomas[25]		Hufton et al. [26]		Gogos^b et al. [27]	Azevedo et al. [34]	Yakoumakis^b et al. [28]		Kiljunen^c et al. [29]	Suliman^d and Elshiekh [30]	This study^e
Age	1991		1994	1996	1996	1998		1998		2003	2006	2007		2008	2008
(years)	(μGy) ^f	(μGy) ^g	(μGy)	(μGy)	(μGy)	(μGy) ^h	(μGy) ⁱ	(μGy) ^j	(μGy) ^k	(μGy)	(μGy)	(μGy) ^l	(μGy) ^m	(μGy)	(μGy)	(μGy)
0-1	1070	910		140	60	140	120	69	90	147	513	243	449	140	226	110
1-5	1295	1130	410	350	80	360	200	234	95	123	797	-	358	420	309	62
5-10	2350	3010	680	550	600	560	300	458	298	347	1286	354	669	-	388	116
10-15	3170	4180	1230	1070	1200	1180	430	983	558	508	1816	652	913	2540	321	324ⁿ/713^o

^aEntrance dose in tissue, which is typically 5% higher than entrance doses in air which includes backscatter
^bAge groups (years) 0–0.5, 0.5-2, 3–7, 8–12
^cAge groups (years) <0.5, 2.5-7.5, 12.5-17.5
^dValues at 1, 5, 10 and 15 years; averaged over 3 hospitals with similar data. Children of 15 years weighted only 27 kg
^eBackscatter factors from [36] applied to incident air kerma (from Table 3)
^fCentre I two rooms averaged
^gCentre II
^h2.5 mm Al
ⁱ5.5 mm Al filtration
^jScreen-film, average of two rooms
^kComputed radiography, average of two rooms
^lHospital A
^mHospital B
ⁿSmaller children, typically no grid and no AEC
^oLarger children, typically with grid and/or AEC