Radiologist ONLY - How Much Radiation Is Generally Associated With

Posted on Sat, 16 Mar 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : Radiologist ONLY - How much radiation is generally associated with a lateral LS51 spot view/ x-ray?

Follow up: Dr. Vivek Chail (3 minutes later)

By this I mean the lateral spot view of lumbar spine after both standard AP and Lateral views , honest answer appreciated

Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Total radiation can be 4.2 mSv

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing in to us.

The radiation dose can vary with the age, build, technical factors used and the gender of the person.

We usually follow average values and the usual radiation from a single LS spine AP view is about 2.2 mSv and for a lateral view it is 1.5 mSv.

If we consider the lateral spot after a AP and lateral series then the total radiation will be 2.2 + 1.5 + 1.5 and is 4.2 mSv.

When we consider radiation exposure for xrays and keeping in mind that you are a 29 years old male, there is no significant radiation risk in doing xray LS spine AP and lateral views.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D