Bone Marrow Dose in Chest Radiography: The Posteroanterior vs. Anteroposterior Projection

The dose to active bone marrow resulting from anteroposterior (AP) and posteroanterior (PA) chest examinations was estimated using an Alderson Rando phantom and extruded lithium fluoride dosimeters. The AP projections resulted in a mean marrow dose range of 1.9–2.6 mrad (0.019–0.026 mGy) as compared to doses for PA projections of 3.4–3.8 mrad (0.034–0.038 mGy) for optimally diagnostic exposures taken at 70, 90, and 120 kVp.