In pediatric radiography, which component can be omitted to reduce patient radiation dose?

• A. Collimation
• B. Filtration
• C. Gonadal shielding
• D. Grids

Answer: (D)

The factor that can be omitted to lower patient dose is the grid. Grids are placed to reduce scatter and improve image contrast, but they also absorb some of the primary beam. To compensate for that loss of signal, the technique factors (like mA or exposure time) are increased, which raises the patient’s radiation dose. In pediatric exams, there’s typically less scatter because the patient is smaller, so you can often achieve acceptable image quality without a grid. Removing the grid reduces dose, provided you can still obtain a satisfactory image. Collimation, filtration, and shielding are generally kept to help manage dose and image quality; omitting them would not reliably reduce dose and can compromise safety or diagnostic value.