What is the approximate patient skin dose for CT examinations?

What is the approximate patient skin dose for CT examinations?

• A. ten to fifty rem
• B. one to several rem
• C. fifty to one hundred rem
• D. one to several mrem

Answer: (B)

CT exams deliver a moderate amount of radiation to the skin, accumulated over the rotating beam and multiple slices. The entrance skin dose from a typical CT study is on the order of one to several rems, which reflects the cumulative exposure from the several passes of the beam. That’s why this range is the best match. Options indicating ten to fifty rem or fifty to one hundred rem imply much higher exposure than a standard CT exam, while one to several millirem is far too low for the amount of exposure involved in CT imaging.

CT exams deliver a moderate amount of radiation to the skin, accumulated over the rotating beam and multiple slices. The entrance skin dose from a typical CT study is on the order of one to several rems, which reflects the cumulative exposure from the several passes of the beam. That’s why this range is the best match. Options indicating ten to fifty rem or fifty to one hundred rem imply much higher exposure than a standard CT exam, while one to several millirem is far too low for the amount of exposure involved in CT imaging.