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Table 3 Typical effective doses and equivalent of natural background radiation time for different imaging procedures used in Germany [7]

From: Dosimetric quantities and effective dose in medical imaging: a summary for medical doctors

Imaging procedure

Typical effective dose (ED) in (mSv)

Approx. natural background radiation (for similar ED)

Chest PA

0.02

3 days

Abdomen AP/PA

0.34

2 months

CT-chest

5.1

2.4 years

CT-abdomen and pelvis

11

5.2 years

Coronary angiography

3.1

1.5 years

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)

6.4

3 years

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of the aorta

17

8 years

Lung perfusion scintigraphy 160 MBq Tc-99 m

1.8

10 months

Positron emission tomography (oncology)

(350 MBq F-18-FDG)

4.6

2.2 years

  1. The effective doses provided do not account for individual factors such as a patient’s sex, age or constitution. The dose uncertainty may exceed a factor of 5. Average natural radiation exposure in Germany: 2.1 mSv per year