Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the entrance surface doses (ESDs) to patients undergoing chest and lumbar spine X-ray examinations in Najran, Saudi Arabia. ESD per examination was estimated from X-ray tube output parameters in two hospitals comprising three X-ray units and a sample of 137 radiographs. Hospital mean ESDs estimated range from 0.068 to 0.34 mGy for chest posteroanterior, 0.44-3.42 mGy for lumbar spine anteroposterior and 0.96-7.98 mGy for lumbar spine lateral. The results are useful to national and professional organizations and can be used as a baseline upon which future dose measurements may be compared.