Exposure to relatively high dose ionising radiation during pregnancy may induce some effects that are seen at birth and others that are not manifested until later in life. A review of the published literature indicates that the very early and later stages of fetal development are at lower risk than the period in between. The evidence relating in utero exposure to diagnostic medical ionising radiation and subsequent occurrence of health effects suggest that the overall risk is very small compared to the occurrence of these ill-effects in the average pregnancy.
Good information of the potential effects of ionising radiation on the embryo and fetus is of assistance in the counselling of women who have been irradiated during pregnancy. This review paper is primarily concerned with the effects of exposure to ionising radiation received in the course of pregnancy and the associated radiation risks arising from properly conducted diagnostic medical examinations.
Osei EK, Faulkner K. Radiation risks from exposure to diagnostic X-rays during pregnancy. Radiography 2000; 6: 131-144.
Mr. E. K. Osei. NGH Unit, Newcastle upon Tyne. Tel: +44 (0)191-233-6161.
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