What is the reported trend for patient dose from X-ray exams in the US?

• A. 5% increase per year
• B. 10% increase per year
• C. 15% increase per year
• D. 20% decrease per year

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the average patient dose from diagnostic X-ray exams in the United States has been rising over time. A commonly cited figure is about a ten percent increase per year. This upward trend comes from more imaging being performed and from higher doses associated with newer modalities like CT and certain interventional procedures. Even with strong dose-optimization efforts—such as exposure controls, dose modulation, and improved detectors—the overall population dose grows because the number of exams and the average dose per exam in some modalities are increasing. So, the best-supported trend is roughly a 10% per year rise in patient dose. Smaller increases or a decrease are not aligned with the observed data.