Diagnostic irradiation, congenital malformations and spontaneous abortion

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The irradiation received in the first trimester of pregnancy or at any time before pregnancy by 379 women admitted to hospital with spontaneous abortions, and 605 women delivered of babies with congenital malformations was compared with that received by a control group. A comparison was also made of the irradiation received by 392 fathers of malformed babies and a control group. No significant difference was found between case and control groups in the number of persons whose abdomens were examined by X rays. However, the number of such radiographs was small, and during the first trimester of pregnancy only two cases of abdominal radiographs were found, both in the third month. There is thus no evidence that diagnostic irradiation plays an important part in the aetiology of abortions requiring hospital admission or of congenital malformations. The effect of diagnostic irradiation in influencing either of these conditions cannot, however, be determined in a sample of this size. Incidental to the m...