Fetal Radiation Dose in Common Diagnostic Radiology Procedures for Pregnant Patients: Findings from In-Phantom Measurements  
[PERSON]  
1 University Hospital Centre Osjiek, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. ); vkopacn@mefos.hw (V.K.) [PERSON]  
2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Josip Juraj Strossmay, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.S. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.M. );  
[PERSON]  
1 University Hospital Centre Osjiek, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. ); vkopacn@mefos.hw (V.K.) [PERSON]  
1 University Hospital Centre Osjiek, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. ); vkopacn@mefos.hw (V.K.) [PERSON]  
2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Josip Juraj Strossmay, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.S. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.M. );  
[PERSON]  
8 Ruder Boskovic Institute, 1000 Zagreb, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.M. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.H.) [PERSON]  
2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Josip Juraj Strossmay, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.S. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.M. );  
[PERSON]  
2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Josip Juraj Strossmay, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.S. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.M. );  
[PERSON]  
1 University Hospital Centre Osjiek, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. ); vkopacn@mefos.hw (V.K.) [PERSON]  
4 Dubrava University Hospital, 1000 Zagreb, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (V.K.) [PERSON]  
1 University Hospital Centre Osjiek, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (V.K.) [PERSON]  
4 Dubrava University Hospital, 1000 Zagreb, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (V.K.) [PERSON]  
1 University Hospital Centre Osjiek, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (V.K.) [PERSON]  
1 University Hospital Centre Osjiek, 31000 Osjiek, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.K. ); ia8182@gmail. with venous thromboembolism being the leading cause of maternal death in developed countries [1; 2; 3]. Pregnancy-associated stroke is known to cause 18% of strokes in women under the age of 35, causing up to 15% of the deaths of pregnant women worldwide [4; 5; 6]. Other potentially life-threatening conditions can be singled out, such as appendicitisis, being the most common non-obstetric complication in pregnancy that requires surgical intervention with a reported frequency of 1 in 500-2000 pregnancies [7]. The second most common cause of acute abdomen that requires surgical treatment in pregnant women is cholecystitis, with the incidence being the same as that in the general population [8; 9]. Nephrolithiasis is also one of the causes of abdominal pain in pregnancy, with the reported incidence varying from 1 in 250 to 300 [10]. Furthermore, 1 in 12 pregnant women experience trauma during pregnancy, which often requires the use of extensive diagnostics [11]. Although current guidelines state that diagnostic imaging procedures using ionizing radiation should not be avoided in pregnant patients if there is a good risk-benefit ratio, the diagnosis of such conditions can often be delayed due to the fear of using ionizing radiation during pregnancy and the unavailability of other diagnostic modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging [12; 13]. A lack of knowledge coupled with patients' fears can result in the avoidance of procedures or even unnecessary pregnancy terminations, underscoring the importance of knowledge of fetal doses in different clinical scenarios, as well as optimization of the procedures [14; 15]. This fear is present due to a known deterministic effect on fetuses which occurs with doses above 100 mGy and includes growth restriction, cognitive impairment, congenital malformations, etc.