To familiarise the radiologist with current excessive use of medicalX-rays and its potential cumulative harmful effects on health, as well as to arouse the awareness of the importance of radiation protection of the patients.

The part of radiation due to medical exposure increased dramatically with extensive use ofmultislice computed tomography (CT). Some medical X-rays involve effective doses of only a few microsieverts, however,organ doses and effective doses can easily rise to 100mSv or more for extensive fluoroscopic or CT examinations when such examinations are repeated through an episode of disease or trauma [1]. Therefore, it is necessary to determine justification of X-ray exams, and to apply optimisation and limitation of these exams, especially in the field of overuse of...

A review of the most recent literature regarding medical X-ray overuse is presented. Fig.1 shows total population exposure to radiation and the share of medical radiation exposure. Conservative estimates are that more than 60 million CT examinations are done yearly in the United States, representing an estimated 70% of all medical X-ray exposure. Since the development of the first commercial CT scanners in 1972, CT has become the major source of medical radiation [2,3]. Fig.2 shows the data on the frequency of CT scan worldwide....

The reduction of patient dose is highly dependent on radiologists, their staff, and even the anatomic parts of the patients that are examined. To deliver the best care, radiologists must image gently striking a balance between patient risk and diagnostic value. Therefore, risks and benefits of exposure to radiation for medical imaging and other sources must be clearly defined for clinicians and their patients.

D.Hadnadjev, S. Stojanović, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Center for Radiology, Hajduk Veljkova 1, 21 000 Novi Sad, Serbia. Mail to: [email protected]

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