Radiation exposure in adult and pediatric patients with osteogenesis imperfecta

Diagnostic radiographs, computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine studies, and intraoperative fluoroscopy durations were analyzed for radiation exposure. Cumulative and yearly effective ionizing radiation doses, cumulative background radiation, and total radiograph studies were compared between pediatric and adult populations. In 24 patients with 1,246 imaging studies (average 5.5 years longitudinal treatment duration), the mean estimated cumulative effective radiation dose per patient was 30.0 mSv (range 2.3-115.0), with an average yearly dose of 4.9 mSv (range 0.4-24.8). Pediatric patients had significantly more radiograph studies per year than adults and greater average yearly effective radiation doses.