Radiologists and x-ray technologists are trained to use the smallest amount of radiation necessary to obtain x-ray images. Your doctor uses these images to diagnose and treat your health condition. An imaging exam is done only when a doctor feels it is necessary for a diagnosis. Most routine imaging exams have a small amount of radiation exposure, or low radiation dose. When an exam is required to assess your health, it is important to remember that the benefits of the exam greatly outweigh any risk.

The medical decision to have an x-ray exam weighs the likelihood of benefit against the potential risk from radiation. For exams that use a small amount of radiation (i.e., chest x-ray), this is generally an easy decision. Other imaging exams may use larger amounts. A radiologist may want to consider your history of radiation exposure before recommending a procedure. Computed tomography (CT), interventional radiology, and nuclear medicine exams may each use a modest amount of radiation. If you have had frequent x-ray exams and change healthcare providers, it is a good idea to keep a record of your x-ray history for yourself. This can help your doctor make an informed decision. It is very important to tell your new doctor, the imaging technologist, or radiologist if you are pregnant before having an exam that uses radiation.

The advancements in the medical imagining have reduced radiation exposure while still providing high quality images necessary for diagnosis. It is important to know why you need an imaging exam and to discuss which exam will best answer the medical question at the lowest radiation dose. Many medical imaging procedures have no or very low radiation dose.

Pregnancy and x-rays

Knowing that a patient is or could be pregnant is important information for your doctor. Pregnancy, for example, might explain certain symptoms or medical findings. When a pregnant patient is ill or injured, the doctor will carefully select medications to avoid potential risks to the developing child. This is also true of exams that use radiation.

Most x-ray exams do not pose a serious risk to the developing child of a pregnant woman. However, as with any medical procedure, there is always a risk for complications. The actual risk depends on how far along the pregnancy is, the type of x-ray imaging, and the area of the body under examination. X-ray exams of the head, arms, legs and chest do not usually expose an unborn baby directly to x-rays. Typically, the x-ray technologist will take special precautions to ensure that an unborn baby is not directly exposed.

Sometimes pregnant patients need exams of the abdomen or pelvis. Ultrasound is typically used if the purpose of the exam is to monitor the fetus. Ultrasound does not use x-rays and poses no known risk to the pregnancy. If the doctor cannot use ultrasound to answer questions about your health concern, other forms of imaging may be used. When possible, the type and method of imaging exam will be carefully chosen to minimize the amount of radiation exposure to the baby. It is important that you tell the doctor and the x-ray technologist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding before the exam is performed.

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