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Keywords:
Radiation safety, CT-Angiography, Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Dosimetric comparison
Authors:
K. Bates, A. K. Tootell, A. England, K. Szczepura; Salford, Manchester/UK
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2016/C-2394
Aims and objectives
Lead rubber aprons are an essential personal protective devise and should be worn at all times to reduce radiation exposure to employees [1]. This is particularly important for interventional workers [2] who should be provided with correctly fitted aprons so that optimum radiation protection is achieved.
It has been previously reported that lead rubber aprons may not fit staff properly [3]in that the lateral aspect of the aprons were left loose or were not secured to fit the wearer using the adjustable straps possibly because the apron was too small for the wearer.
In addition,
breast tissue is considered to a radiosensitive organ and has been given a tissue weighting factor of 0.12 [4].
CT Fluoroscopy has increased in popularity due to the increase in technology [1] giving the operator a clearer three-dimensional guide of the procedure [5].
The main disadvantage of CT Fluoroscopy is the higher energy tube volt (kV) and tube current (mA) compared with general fluoroscopy,
which increases the amount of radiation dose to both patient and staff [5].
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of radiation dose to operator axillary breast tissue when a lead apron is not appropriately fitted or is not the correct size whilst performing CT fluoroscopy.