What is the typical staff dose from a DXA examination?
The dose to staff in DXA facilities is generally small. However, new developments in DXA imaging technology (fan beam, cone beam, C-arm configurations) can result in larger scattered exposure levels. In some examinations the operator may be present in the scanning room; thus the scattered radiation from the total annual patient workload must be considered when assessing occupational dose levels. The reported scatter dose rates at 1m from the central axis of the patient table range from few tenths of a µSv/h to 5 µSv/h, depending of the scanner model. From these values, recent calculations and measurements indicate that the annual dose for an average workload (20 patients/day) at 1m from the scanner will be between 0.1 and 1.5 mSv depending the model of the scanner [Patel et al., 1996; Sheahan et al., 2005; Larkin et al., 2008]. These figures assume that staff do not comfort or hold children during examinations, and that this is done by parents or other comforters/carers. In practical t
