Evidence Hub

Technical strategies for radiation dose optimisation in paediatric pelvic radiography: a systematic review

Kamath K, Sukumar S, David LR, Kadavigere R, Shah HH, Panakkal NC, Pradhan A, Dkhar W et al.

Radiological physics and technology, 2026

Abstract

Paediatric pelvic radiography is a frequently performed diagnostic procedure that exposes radiosensitive organs to ionising radiation. Optimisation of imaging parameters is essential to minimise radiation dose while preserving diagnostic image quality. This systematic review aimed to evaluate technical strategies for radiation dose optimisation in paediatric pelvic radiography and assess their impact on radiation dose and image quality. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted for studies published between 2004 and 2025. Experimental and clinical studies assessing radiation dose and image quality in paediatric pelvic radiography were included. Data on exposure parameters, dose metrics, and image quality assessment methods were extracted and synthesised narratively. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, predominantly comprising phantom-based experimental designs. Increasing tube potential (kVp), extending source-to-image distance (SID), and applying additional aluminium or copper filtration consistently reduced radiation dose. Dose reductions of up to 60-70% were reported without clinically significant loss of image quality. Although objective image quality metrics (e.g., CNR, SNR) occasionally declined, subjective assessments confirmed that images remained diagnostically acceptable. Optimisation of technical parameters in paediatric pelvic radiography can achieve substantial radiation dose reduction while maintaining clinically…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free