Background: Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is an indispensable tool for diagnosing
infertility in females. The procedure exposes female reproductive organs to ionizing
radiation as the genitals are irradiated during the process. Investigating patient
absorbed dose during the procedures is essential for effective radiological protection
of the patient.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the radiation dose received by patient
during HSG examination in the study environment in order to enhance optimization
of procedures and the associated dose, thereby minimizing radiation risks.
Material and Methods: The study was conducted in four tertiary healthcare
institutions in Southwest Nigeria. Thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD 100) was
used to determine the Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) of 80 patients presented for HSG
investigation. The corresponding effective dose, ovary, uterus and urinary bladder
doses were evaluated using PCXMC software.
Results: The means entrance surface dose (ESD) obtained from the four centers
were 18.58±6.31 mGy, 15.18±2.27 mGy, 17.44±3.43 mGy and 34.24±11.98 mGy for
SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4 centers, respectively. The corresponding mean of effective
doses were 1.54±0.63 mSv, 1.24±0.28 mSv, 1.41±0.30 mSv and 2.53±0.94 mSv
for SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4 centers, respectively. The resulting mean doses to the
ovary, urinary bladder and uterus were also presented.
Conclusion: The results obtained in general are comparable with international
standards. It was, however, recommended that study centers with high doses should
conduct dose audit in order to enhance patient safety
