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What are the recommendations for counseling a patient regarding safety of a chest X-ray during pregnancy?
A milligray (mGy) is a unit of measurement for radiation dose, or
the amount of energy absorbed by a tissue or organ.
"...it is estimated that a fetus will be exposed to
1 mGy of background radiation during pregnancy." [2]
Background radiation is the radiation that is present in the
environment.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) advises
"The pregnant patient or worker has a right to know the magnitude and
type of potential radiation effects that might result from in-utero
exposure...The level and degree of disclosure
should be related to the level of risk. For low dose procedures such
as a chest X-ray, the only information that may be needed is a
verbal assurance that the risk is judged to be extremely low. When
foetal doses are above 1 mGy, usually more detailed explanation is
given." [1]
The fetal dose from a chest X-ray (two views) is 0.0005 to 0.01 mGy
The fetal dose from an X-ray of the cervical spine (anteroposterior
and lateral views), or of any extremity, computed tomography (CT) of
head or neck , or mammography (two views) would be expected to be less than 0.1
mGy.
RESOURCE(S)
UPDATED 2/19/2025
Reviewed by Mark Curran M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
References
1. International Commission on Radiological Protection. Pregnancy and medical radiation. Ann ICRP. 2000;30(1):iii-viii, 1-43. doi: 10.1016/s0146-6453(00)00037-3. PMID: 11108925.
https://www.icrp.org/publication.asp?id=icrp%20publication%2084
2.
Guidelines for Diagnostic Imaging During Pregnancy and Lactation
Committee Opinion No. 723: Obstet Gynecol. 2017
Oct;130(4):e210-e216. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002355. Erratum in:
Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Sep;132(3):786. 28937575.
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