Background/Introduction
Fluoroscopic examinations can be associated with high radiation dose,
with less standardisation of screening technique than plain radiography.
It is thus expected that there will be a great variation in the dose delivered by different operators for the same radiological examination and patients of the same age,
gender,
body mass and thickness.
In 1996,
the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) introduced Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRL) standardised at the 75th percentile of the imaging examination dose.
In 2001,
ICRP recommended the use of local DRL...
Description of activity and work performed
Data were prospectively collected on consecutive procedures (750 total) performed from January 2016 to December 2016 on 2 different fluoroscopy units (Siemens Iconos R200,
Luminos dRF).
Of each procedure patients data (name,
weight and birth date),
examination-data (kind of procedure,
date,
DAP [cGy*cm2],
total fluoroscopy time,
number of images) were recorded.
Data from micturating-cystourethrography (MCU),
barium meal (BM),
barium swallow (BS) and most commonly performed procedures were divided into 4 weight-groups (<10Kg,
10kg - <15Kg,
15kg - <30Kg,
30kg - <60Kg) and of each one...
Conclusion and Recommendations
The update of local-DRL is helpful in daily practice to identify (and solve) critical issues such as incorrect technique or poor practice with new flat-panel equipment.
Personal/Organisational information
Dr.
Andrea Magistrelli
Radiologist - Counsilor of Radiation Protection Section of Italian Society of Radiology (SIRM)
Imaging Department - OU Radiology and Bioimaging
Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù IRCCS - Rome (Italy)
[email protected]
References
PiDRL Guidelines - http:// www.eurosafeimaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/European-Guidelines-on-DRLs-for-Paediatric-Imaging_FINAL-for-workshop_30-Sept-2015.pdf
Hart D,
Wall BF,
Shrimpton PC,
Bungay DR,
Dance DR (2000) Reference doses and patient size in paediatric radiology.
Report NRPB-R318
Hart D,
Hillier MC,
Shrimpton PC (2012) Doses to patients from Radiographic and Fluoroscopic X-ray Imaging Procedures in the UK – 2010 Review.
Health Protection Agency (UK) ReportHPA- 12 CRCE-034
Hioms MP,
Saini A,
Marden PJ (2006) A review of current local dose-area product levels for paediatric fluoroscopy in a tertiary referral centre compared with national standards.
Why are...
