| dc.description.abstract | Exposure to ionizing radiation is potentially ,
hazardous to living tissues, as reviewed in this study,
such that patients undergoing x-ray examinations should be
protected from excessive radiation dose.
BetweenMayand November1990, a total of 405 patients
mdergoing barium examinations, as requested by their
Physicians, were rronitored at Kenyatta and Aga Khan
hospitals in Nairobi using LiF dosemeters for radiation
doses to the thyroid, skin and gonads. The characteristies
of the patients and sorre technical factors of the
examinations were studied too.
It was found that 79. 8% of all barium examination
patients in both hospitals were for Ba msal , 8.1% were for
Ba swallow, and there was alrrost no patient below 29 years
for Ba swallow. The-majority of the patients were in
the 15-64 year age bracket, and there were IIDre female
patients between 0-44 years at The AgaKhan (72.9%) than
at Kenyatta (49. 7%t. While 2<143.6% of barium examination
female patients were post-menopausal, 6.8%-7.6% had
admittedly missed their periods or were over-due at the
t.irre of examination. Peptic ulcer disease .accourrtedfor
54.3% to 61.0% of all indications for all barium examinations,
and malignancy was an indication in 55. 6% to 59. 3%
of all indications for Ba swallow.
The mean number of films per examination ranged
frcm 2.4 to 7.3 and of radiographic exposures from 5. 4 to
12.6 with no evident interhospital difference.
The rrean radiation dose to the thyroid amongadults
ranged between 1 and 20 mGy at Kenyatta, and between 0.2,.
and 20mGy at TheAgaKhan. PromBa rreal the interhospital
,dose difference was statisttcally significant (p<0.001) •
The rrean radiation dose to the testes amongadults was
between0.3 and 5 mGy(Kenyatta) and between Q.2 .and
8 mGy(TheAgaKhan). At Kenyatta during Ba rreal, the
dose was highest amongchildren (5 mGy)and fell with
age to be lowest amomg the elderly (2 rrGy). The interhospital
dose difference amongadults during Ba rreal
was highly statistically significant (p L..O.CXDl).
The back skin surface doses were consistently higher,
in both hospitals and from all examinations, than the ~ront
surface doses or the mean of the four-site doses. The
nean back surface skin doses from Ba rreal ranged from
551 mGyto 705 mGy(Kenyatta) and from 76mGy to 93 mGy
(The Aga Khan), with a statistically significant interhospital
difference ( pL 0.(01) in barium rreal doses.
Ovary doses calculated from back skin doses ranged
between 179 rrGy and 244 mGy, (Kenyatta, Ba meal.), .corrpared
to between 25 mGyand 46 rmGy at TheAgaKhan. | en |
| dc.description.department | a
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, ; bDepartment of Mental Health, School of Medicine,
Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya | |
