Influence of collimation on radiation exposure during chest radiography.

The aim was to assess the impact of collimation on the field of view, dose-area product, effective dose, and absorbed dose to organs located in or near the primary beam. Data were collected using two Siemens radiography units. Imaging was performed under standard clinical protocols in posteroanterior (PA) and lateral projections. Images from 372 patients aged 18 years or older were randomly selected for analysis. For each image, exposure parameters, dose-area product, and field of view were recorded. Based on the field of view, images were classified as optimally or non-optimally collimated. Effective dose and absorbed organ doses were calculated using PCXMC 2.0. With optimal collimation, the field of view was reduced by up to 14.5%, and the dose-area product decreased by 26.6% in the PA projection and 48.4% in the lateral projection. Correspondingly, the effective dose was reduced by 18.3% in PA and 49.1% in lateral projections. Absorbed doses to selected organs decreased by 10%-55.5% in PA and 31.8%-60.9% in lateral projections. The results indicate that collimation is an essential optimization tool that can significantly reduce the patient's dose, thereby lowering the risk of radiation-induced complications.