ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To propose national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for interventional radiology and to evaluate the impact of the procedural complexity on patient doses. METHODS: Eight interventional radiology units from Spanish hospitals were involved in this project. The participants agreed to undergo common quality control procedures for X-ray systems. Kerma area product (KAP) was collected from a sample of 1,649 procedures. A consensus document established the criteria to evaluate the complexity of seven types of procedures. DRLs were set as the 3rd quartile of KAP values. RESULTS: The KAP (3rd quartile) in Gy cm2 for the procedures included in the survey were: lower extremity arteriography (n = 784) 78; renal arteriography (n = 37) 107; transjugular hepatic biopsies (THB) (n = 30) 45; biliary drainage (BD) (n = 314) 30; uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) (n = 56) 214; colon endoprostheses (CE) (n = 31) 169; hepatic chemoembolization (HC) (n = 269) 303; femoropopliteal revascularization (FR) (n = 62) 119; and iliac stent (n = 66) 170. The complexity involved the increases in the following KAP factors from simple to complex procedures: THB x4; BD x13; UFE x3; CE x3; HC x5; FR x5 and IS x4. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the procedure complexity in patient doses will allow the proper use of DRLs for the optimization of interventional radiology. KEY POINTS: ⢠National DRLs for interventional procedures have been proposed given level of complexity ⢠For clinical audits, the level of complexity should be taken into account. ⢠An evaluation of the complexity levels of the procedure should be made.
Subject(s)
Angiography/methods , Angiography/standards , Quality Control , Radiology, Interventional/methods , Radiology, Interventional/standards , Female , Humans , Radiation Dosage , Reference Values , Spain , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Surgical treatment of an occluded or stenotic portosystemic shunt is difficult and carries a high risk of mortality. We report two cases of early thrombosis of distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) successfully treated by transcatheter recanalization and stent placement. At 18-month follow-up, the patients remained asymptomatic and control venograms showed continued patency of the shunt with no evidence of stenosis or collaterals.
