ABSTRACT
The paper presents a study of the radiation doses to eye lens of medical staff during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures performed in a busy gastroenterology department. For each procedure the dose equivalent to the eye, exposure time, dose rate, Kerma Area Product and fluoroscopy time were recorded. Measurements were performed for a period of two months in four main positions of the operating staff, and then extrapolated to estimate annual doses. The fluoroscopy time per ERCP procedure varied between 1.0 min and 28.8 min, with a mean value of 4.6 min. The calculated mean eye dose per procedure varied between 34.9 µSv and 93.3 µSv. The results demonstrated that if eye protection is not used, annual doses to the eye lens of the gastroenterologist performing the procedure and the anesthesiologist can exceed the dose limit of 20 mSv per year.
Subject(s)
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde , Lens, Crystalline/radiation effects , Medical Staff , Occupational Exposure/analysis , Humans , Radiation Dosage , Radiation ProtectionABSTRACT
The purpose of this work is to present the algorithm for the optimisation of paediatric chest radiography aimed to reduce patient doses at keeping adequate image quality. Optimal tube voltage, tube current and exposure time, use of automatic or manual exposure control and use of antiscatter grid were recommended for different age groups and depending on the patient size. The optimised protocols and radiography technique resulted in decrease in Entrance surface air kerma and effective dose values in a factor of between 1.5 and over 5 for different age groups. Image quality was assessed to be of sufficient diagnostic quality.
Subject(s)
Pediatrics/methods , Radiographic Image Enhancement/methods , Radiography, Thoracic/methods , Adolescent , Air , Algorithms , Automation , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Pattern Recognition, Automated , Radiation Dosage , Radiation Protection , Reference Values , Surveys and Questionnaires , X-RaysABSTRACT
The aim is to estimate the possibility the new annual dose limit for eye lens to be exceeded and to study the impact of protective shield. Radiation exposure to medical personnel was evaluated with EDD-30 dosemeter in positions of operating surgeon, assisting doctor and nurse. At the operator's typical position for diagnosis and treatment of the urinary tract, the lens dose rates were 0.9 mSv h(-1) and 0.06 mSv h(-1) without and with lead shield. At the operator's position typical for percutaneous intervention dose rates were 1.9 and 0.02 mSv h(-1), respectively. At typical workload, the annual eye lens dose to the main operator without protective screen was estimated to be 29 mSv. With lead screen, operator lens dose can be reduced by a factor of 15-95 according to the procedure. Installation and use of lead screen and use of lead glasses were recommended to the endourology medical team.
Subject(s)
Medical Staff , Occupational Exposure/prevention & control , Radiation Protection/methods , Radiology, Interventional/methods , Urology/methods , Fluoroscopy , Humans , Lead , Lens, Crystalline/radiation effects , Nurses , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Phantoms, Imaging , Physicians , Protective Clothing , Protective Devices , Radiation Dosage , Radiation Exposure , Radiometry , Risk , Surgeons , Urinary Tract/radiation effectsABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to compare the important aspects of paediatric radiological practice and the patient doses from chest X-ray examinations performed in three hospitals in Bulgaria. Data from 163 paediatric patients were recorded using a standardised form. Entrance surface air kerma (ESAK) to patient was calculated from the air-kerma air product (KAP) and field size measurements. Large variations were found for KAP and ESAK. Inappropriate film size and insufficient collimation were often used. Inappropriate use of automatic exposure control and antiscatter grid was found. In most cases, no attention was paid to reduce dose to sensitive organs by means of shielding or proper collimation. Recommendations were given to the hospitals on how to reduce patient doses in paediatric chest radiography.
Subject(s)
Pediatrics , Practice Patterns, Physicians' , Radiation Dosage , Radiation Protection/standards , Radiography, Thoracic , Adolescent , Bulgaria , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Practice Guidelines as TopicABSTRACT
The purpose of this work is to study doses to patients undergoing interventional endourological procedures. The study was performed in a modern Clinic of Endourology and Shockwave Lithotripsy, equipped with two dedicated X-ray systems. The following information was recorded for each patient: type of the procedure, patient age, fluoroscopy time, number of images acquired and patient dose in air kerma-area product, P(KA), measured with KAP-meters integrated in the X-ray units. Eleven types of procedures were included. From the collected sample of 429 patients for all procedures, the mean fluoroscopy time varied between 0.2 and 4 min. The highest values of mean P(KA) 457 and 590 cGy cm(2) were found for percutaneous nephrolithotripsy and ureteroscopy, respectively. The mean values of P(KA) for rest of the procedures investigated were between 58 and 398 cGy cm(2). Individual patient doses varied between 2 and 2440 cGy cm(2) and fluoroscopy time--between 0.1 and 13.7 min. The first study in interventional endourology in Bulgaria demonstrated big variations in patient doses depending on the type and the complexity of procedure, operator's experience and exposure modes.
