Published in 1996, the European Guidelines on Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images in Paediatrics discouraged the use of Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) when imaging small children [1]. This is on the basis that a child's anatomy is so small the AEC would be exposed by unattenuated x-ray photons, leading to premature exposure termination [1]. Though this publication dates back over two decades, it remains the most comprehensive guide currently available for paediatric projection radiography [2]. Similar recommendations are found in more recent studies which...

Research Design In an anthropomorphic phantom study, three phantoms were exposed, each conforming to a standard patient size at a given patient age (one-year-old, five-years-old and ten-years-old). These phantoms simulate human tissue in both attenuation properties and in structure (Fig. 1). Phantom use removed the need to irradiate live patients, resolving several ethical issues and allowing unlimited exposure repetition [6]. This also removed the possibility of case-variability regarding patient size [7]. Antero-posterior (AP) pelvis radiographs represent one of the most common paediatric projections [8,9], and...

During the phantom study, 21 sets of three exposures were made: 18 with AEC and nine without. Mean DAP values were taken from each set of three images and only one image in each set was further analysed i.e. 21 images. During the specimenstudy, 21 additional exposures were made to match the phantom exposures, all of which were subject to analysis. The phantom exposures and values recorded are summarised in Table 2. DAP values demonstrate broadly linear reduction with each decrease in DCC for each...

Findingsof the current study suggest that the modification of AEC settings could provoke reductions in paediatric patient dose without detriment to diagnostic image quality. SpecificConclusions Radiographers can modify the AEC dose constant through manipulation of the DCC ("density setting") on equipment; Two complementary methods of image quality evaluation are critical for optimisation studies of this nature; The AEC dose constant within the elected clinical site can be reduced; The order of the proposed AEC dose constant reduction is from the prevailing 2.2μGyto approximately 1.61 -...

J. Creedon, Radiography and Diagnostic Imaging, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland K. Matthews, Radiography and Diagnostic Imaging, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

CEC (Commission of the European Communities) (1996)The European Guidelines on Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images in Paediatrics.Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities Knight, S.P. (2014) ‘A Paediatric X-ray Exposure Chart’, Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences, 61(3), pp. 191-201 Goske, M.J., Charkot, E., Herrmann, T., John, S.D., Mills, T.T., Morrison, G. and Smith, S.N. (2011) ‘Image Gently: Challenges for Radiologic Technologists When Performing Digital Radiography in Children’, Paediatric Radiology, 41(5), pp. 611-619 Willis, C.E. (2009) ‘Optimizing Digital Radiography of Children’, European Journal...