Children and Radiation Safety

Medical imaging is very valuable. Image screening can help doctors to make accurate diagnosis to provide appropriate treatment for your child's illness

Radiation can also be used to effectively treat certain diseases. However, the risks involved are small. Everyone receives a small amount of background radiation every day. In addition, radiation exposure occurs in various ways.

GI and B GI inspection, X-ray fluoroscopy (real-time X-ray), computed tomography (CT) scan, and general X-ray examination for all nuclear medicine examinations contain radiation, Imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not included. For details, please refer to the GI and GI pages.

High doses of radiation from certain treatments can cause temporary skin burns. But even more worrying is that radiation can cause cancer. There is no definitive evidence that a small amount of radiation can cause cancer, but a number of population studies have shown that large amounts of radiation cause minor increases in cancer.

To determine if this benefit is worth it, please ask the doctor some questions like the following.

If your child has received other tests the doctor does not know, please confirm that your doctor will receive a copy of these checks. You can avoid repeating the tests your child has already accepted.

For radiation exposure, one size is not suitable for all sizes. This is the focus of the ImageGently® activities developed by the Medical Association and the Professional Alliance, focusing on the safety of radiation for children.

Certification of US facilities guarantees high level of image quality, ongoing supervision by medical physicists, and proper monitoring of radiation exposure

Basic Principles of Radiation Safety The purpose of radiation safety is to keep all radiation exposure at a reasonably feasible low level (ALARA). In other words, if there is a reasonable way to further reduce exposure even if exposure is within acceptable limits, you need to use these controls. There are many elements in an effective radiation safety program, but there are always three basic principles to minimize radiation exposure. In the absence of protective walls, the operator must be at a distance of at least 90 ° to 135 ° from the X-ray tube head at an angle of 6 feet. The central ray of the X-ray beam. As long as the operator is not on the path of the main X - ray beam, 6 feet (2 meters) is considered safe.

ALARA is based on minimizing radiation dose and limiting the release of radioactive substances into the environment using "rational methods". The concept of ALARA is an indispensable part of all activities including the use of radiation and radioactive materials, and it helps to prevent unnecessary radiation exposure and excessive radiation exposure. The three main principles that help maintain "reasonably practicable doses" are time, distance, and shielding

Time is one of three basic safety measures to reduce exposure to external radiation. For health professionals it is important to limit the time spent in the vicinity of the radiation source when exposed to radiation sources. When exposure time is shortened, the effective dose (radiation) also decreases proportionally. Therefore, the shorter the time around the device, the shorter the exposure time. A medical practitioner performing fluoroscopy must ensure that the patient is as close as possible to the image intensifier side of the fluoroscope unit and away from the tube side of the unit. All medical staff involved in fluoroscopic procedures should be on the image intensifier side of the fluoroscope as much as possible to reduce radiation exposure. Standing on the same side of the image intensifier, the radiation intensity decreases