Table 6 Radiation Dose and Estimated Cancer Risk Associated with Selected Spine Imaging Studies [87, 100–102]
From: Diagnostic imaging for spinal disorders in the elderly: a narrative review
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Estimated Cancer Risk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Imaging Modality | Region | Study | Relative Radiation Level* | Estimated Effective Dose (mSv) | Equivalent # of chest x-rays | Risk coefficient (X10-4) | Risk Ratio |
Radiography | |||||||
| Â | Chest | PA view | Minimal | 0.02 | 1 | 0.01 | 1 in 1,000,000 |
| Â | Â | Lat view | Minimal | 0.02 | 1 | 0.01 | 1 in 1,000,000 |
| Â | Cervical | AP view | Minimal | 0.12 | 6 | 0.06 | 1 in 180,000 |
| Â | Â | Lat view | Minimal | 0.02 | 1 | 0.01 | 1 in 1,000,000 |
| Â | Lumbar | AP view | Medium | 2.2 | 110 | 1.1 | 1 in 9,000 |
| Â | Â | Lat view | Medium | 1.5 | 75 | 0.75 | 1 in 10,500 |
CT | |||||||
| Â | Thoracic | Whole T-spine | High | 10 | 500 | 5.5 | 1 in 1,800 |
| Â | Lumbar | Whole L-spine | Medium | 5.6 | 280 | 3.1 | 1 in 3,200 |
Tc-99 m bone scan | |||||||
| Â | Â | Whole body | Medium | 3.5 | 175 | 1.9 | 1 in 5,200 |
FDG-PET | |||||||
| Â | Â | Whole Body | Medium | 7 | 350 | 3.8 | 1 in 2,500 |
Bone density | |||||||
| Â | QCT | L-spine | Minimal | 0.1 | 5 | 0.05 | 1 in 200,000 |
| Â | DXA | L-spine | Minimal | 0.005 | 0.25 | 0.025 | 1 in 4,000,000 |
MRI | |||||||
| Â | Â | Â | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ultrasound | |||||||
| Â | Abdominal | Aorta | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |