Radiography, widely used for diagnostic purposes, represents a major source of exposure to ionizing radiation in children, a population particularly sensitive to the biological effects of radiation. Despite its widespread use, no study has previously assessed pediatric exposure to ionizing radiation in Senegal. This study was therefore conducted to measure and analyze exposure levels during routine radiographic examinations at the Diamniadio Children’s Hospital. A retrospective descriptive and analytical study was carried out from January 1 to June 30, 2022, within the radiology and medical biology departments. Demographic data and anatomical regions examined were collected from radiology registers. Data were entered using Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed with RStudio version 4.1.2. A total of 2820 children were included, with a median age of 4.35 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1.58. The [0-5 years [and [5-10 years [age groups were the most represented, accounting for 53.2% and 30.5% of cases, respectively. Chest and lower limb radiographs were the most frequently performed examinations across all age groups, with a higher exposure frequency observed in boys. These findings indicate that children undergo a substantial number of radiographic examinations, which may increase stochastic radiation effects. Therefore, strict application of radiological protection principles by radiologists and referring physicians is essential.
| Published in | European Journal of Biophysics (Volume 14, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12 |
| Page(s) | 8-13 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
X-ray, Radiography, Pediatrics, Exposure, Radiation Protection, Senegal
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APA Style
Mamadou, S., Lama, K. N., Cheikh, S., Semou, D., Gagnessiry, C., et al. (2026). Assessment of Pediatric Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in Diagnostic Radiography: A Study at Diamniadio Children’s Hospital. European Journal of Biophysics, 14(1), 8-13. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12
ACS Style
Mamadou, S.; Lama, K. N.; Cheikh, S.; Semou, D.; Gagnessiry, C., et al. Assessment of Pediatric Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in Diagnostic Radiography: A Study at Diamniadio Children’s Hospital. Eur. J. Biophys. 2026, 14(1), 8-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12,
author = {Soumboundou Mamadou and Kamara Ndeye Lama and Sall Cheikh and Diouf Semou and Cisse Gagnessiry and Sene Ndeye Awa and Ndiaye Maye and Mbaye Gora},
title = {Assessment of Pediatric Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in Diagnostic Radiography: A Study at Diamniadio Children’s Hospital},
journal = {European Journal of Biophysics},
volume = {14},
number = {1},
pages = {8-13},
doi = {10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ejb.20261401.12},
abstract = {Radiography, widely used for diagnostic purposes, represents a major source of exposure to ionizing radiation in children, a population particularly sensitive to the biological effects of radiation. Despite its widespread use, no study has previously assessed pediatric exposure to ionizing radiation in Senegal. This study was therefore conducted to measure and analyze exposure levels during routine radiographic examinations at the Diamniadio Children’s Hospital. A retrospective descriptive and analytical study was carried out from January 1 to June 30, 2022, within the radiology and medical biology departments. Demographic data and anatomical regions examined were collected from radiology registers. Data were entered using Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed with RStudio version 4.1.2. A total of 2820 children were included, with a median age of 4.35 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1.58. The [0-5 years [and [5-10 years [age groups were the most represented, accounting for 53.2% and 30.5% of cases, respectively. Chest and lower limb radiographs were the most frequently performed examinations across all age groups, with a higher exposure frequency observed in boys. These findings indicate that children undergo a substantial number of radiographic examinations, which may increase stochastic radiation effects. Therefore, strict application of radiological protection principles by radiologists and referring physicians is essential.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Assessment of Pediatric Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in Diagnostic Radiography: A Study at Diamniadio Children’s Hospital AU - Soumboundou Mamadou AU - Kamara Ndeye Lama AU - Sall Cheikh AU - Diouf Semou AU - Cisse Gagnessiry AU - Sene Ndeye Awa AU - Ndiaye Maye AU - Mbaye Gora Y1 - 2026/02/09 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12 T2 - European Journal of Biophysics JF - European Journal of Biophysics JO - European Journal of Biophysics SP - 8 EP - 13 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2329-1737 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejb.20261401.12 AB - Radiography, widely used for diagnostic purposes, represents a major source of exposure to ionizing radiation in children, a population particularly sensitive to the biological effects of radiation. Despite its widespread use, no study has previously assessed pediatric exposure to ionizing radiation in Senegal. This study was therefore conducted to measure and analyze exposure levels during routine radiographic examinations at the Diamniadio Children’s Hospital. A retrospective descriptive and analytical study was carried out from January 1 to June 30, 2022, within the radiology and medical biology departments. Demographic data and anatomical regions examined were collected from radiology registers. Data were entered using Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed with RStudio version 4.1.2. A total of 2820 children were included, with a median age of 4.35 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1.58. The [0-5 years [and [5-10 years [age groups were the most represented, accounting for 53.2% and 30.5% of cases, respectively. Chest and lower limb radiographs were the most frequently performed examinations across all age groups, with a higher exposure frequency observed in boys. These findings indicate that children undergo a substantial number of radiographic examinations, which may increase stochastic radiation effects. Therefore, strict application of radiological protection principles by radiologists and referring physicians is essential. VL - 14 IS - 1 ER -
Biophysics Laboratory of Health Sciences Faculty, Iba Der Thiam University, Thies, Senegal;Medical Biology Laboratory, Diamniadio Children’s Hospital, Dakar, Senegal;Research Unit for Exploration and Diagnosis of Health Sciences Faculty, Iba Der Thiam University, Thies, Senegal
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Biophysics Laboratory of Health Sciences Faculty, Iba Der Thiam University, Thies, Senegal;Research Unit for Exploration and Diagnosis of Health Sciences Faculty, Iba Der Thiam University, Thies, Senegal
Biophysics Laboratory of Health Sciences Faculty, Iba Der Thiam University, Thies, Senegal;Research Unit for Exploration and Diagnosis of Health Sciences Faculty, Iba Der Thiam University, Thies, Senegal
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