Radiation Dosages
While radiation dosage varies with many factors, the following chart, adapted from the ACR, provides approximate exposure for a variety of common imaging procedures. It also gives you a sense of how many months or years it would take for you to get a comparable amount of radiation from normal background exposure. These numbers are estimates only. More information from the ACR.
| For this procedure: | Your approximate effective radiation dose is: | Comparable to natural background radiation for: |
|---|---|---|
| Abdominal region: | ||
| CT Abdomen and Pelvis | 10 mSv * | 3 years |
| CT Body | 2-10 mSv | 8 months to 3 years |
| CT Colonography | 10 mSv | 3 years |
| X-Ray Lower GI Tract | 8 mSv | 3 years |
| X-Ray Upper GI Tract | 6 mSv | 2 years |
| Bone: | ||
| X-ray Spine | 1.5 mSv | 6 months |
| X-ray Extremity (arm, leg) | 0.001 mSv | Less than 1 day |
| Central Nervous System: | ||
| CT Head | 2 mSv | 8 months |
| CT Spine | 6 mSv | 2 years |
| Chest: | ||
| CT Chest | 7 mSv | 2 years |
| CT Chest Low Dose | 1.5 mSv | 6 months |
| X-Ray Chest | 0.1 mSv | 10 days |
| Children's imaging: | ||
| Voiding Cystourethrogram | 5-10 yr. old: 1.6 mSv | 6 months |
| Infant: 0.8 mSv | 3 months | |
| Face and neck: | ||
| CT Sinuses | 0.6 mSv | 2 months |
| Heart: | ||
| Cardiac CT - Calcium Scoring | 2 mSv | 8 months |
| Women's Imaging: | ||
| Bone Densitometry (DEXA) | 0.001 mSv | Less than 1 day |
| Mammography | 0.7 mSv | 3 months |
* mSv is one of several units used to measure the approximate amount of radiation. Generally, people in the US are exposed to about 3 mSv of radiation every year, just as part of the normal environment.