A Health Care Personnel Guide For Assessing Radiation Risk And Selecting Imaging Procedures In Pregnant Women Easy-print edition of this Guide

This reference material is for use by medical staff affiliated with Brigham and Women's Hospital only. It is designed to inform your decision-making as you determine individual risks associated with medical imaging and communicate with your patients. It should not be interpreted as medical advice, nor is it necessarily germane to institutions using other imaging protocols. Patients with questions regarding these issues should speak directly with their caregivers. An additional resource is the Ask the Experts-Pregnancy and Radiation module of the Health Physics Society: http://www.hps.org
Sample Cases
The illustrative case studies listed below demonstrate the practical use of this guide.
Case I


Age of patient: 25 yrs
Gestational age: 10 weeks
Indication/Hx: rule out pulmonary embolism
Other risks: none known
Exam: Chest x-ray (PA)
Fetal dose: <0.0001 mGy
Risk category: I
Exam: VQ, reduced dose
Fetal dose: 0.24 mGy
Risk category: I
Exam: CT lungs/PE protocol
Fetal dose: 0.062 mGy
Risk category: I
Alternative methods: vascular ultrasound used to evaluate DVT
TOTAL: fetal dose = 0.302 mGy, Risk category I
Case II


Age of patient: 23 yrs
Gestational age: 32 weeks
Indication/Hx: rule out appendicitis
Other risks: none known
Exam: CT abdomen
Fetal dose: 1.4 mGy
Risk catagory: I
Exam: CT pelvis
Fetal dose: 15.4 mGy
Risk catagory: I
Alternative methods: it is strongly suggested to perform sonography and/or MRI prior to obtaining CT
TOTAL: fetal dose = 16.8 mGy, Risk catagory I