Answer to Question #10578 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Medical and Dental Patient Issues — Diagnostic X Ray and CT

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q
I have had two HSG (hysterosalpingogram) tests to see if my fallopian tubes were blocked. The first test was in 2004 and the second test was in 2006. The machine had a continuous beam. It was not digital or pulsed. Both tests were at an imaging facility in California.

I would like to know an approximate radiation dose and if the radiation received to my organs will increase cancer risk.

A

According to Richard Kramer and colleagues (2006), the absorbed doses to the ovaries or uterus are on the order of 4 mGy (the article uses equivalent dose [mSv]) per examination. Any potential cancer risk from this dose is low.

 
David A. Schauer, ScD, CHP

Reference
Kramer R, Khoury HJ, Lopes C, Vieira JW. Equivalent dose to organs and tissues in hysterosalpingography calculated with the FAX (female adult voxel) phantom. The British Journal of Radiology 79:893–898; 2006.

Answer posted on 17 April 2013. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.