When adjusting exposure factors for a lateral chest radiograph on a pediatric patient, which of the following practices is recommended to minimize radiation exposure?

• A. Increase mA
• B. Decrease mAs
• C. Decrease kVp
• D. Increase distance

Answer: (B)

Minimizing radiation dose in pediatric imaging hinges on using the smallest exposure that still yields a diagnostic image. The exposure actually delivered to the patient is largely controlled by mAs, which determines how many photons are produced. Reducing mAs directly lowers the dose, so using the lowest mAs that provides an acceptable lateral chest radiograph keeps exposure down. In practice, you would adjust kVp as needed to maintain sufficient penetration and image quality while keeping mAs as low as possible. Increasing mA would raise dose, decreasing kVp without compensating mAs can result in either underexposure or higher dose due to increased mAs needed, and increasing distance can degrade image quality and isn’t the most reliable way to reduce dose for this projection.