Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2019
Keywords:
Action 2 - Clinical diagnostic reference levels (DRLs), Action 7 - Radiation protection of children, Paediatric, Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Fluoroscopy, Dosimetry, Surgery, Dosimetric comparison
Authors:
P. Garcia Castañon, R. Fayos-Sola Capilla, A. Viñals Muñoz, C. Idoate Ortueta, J. M. MUÑOZ OLMEDO, C. Ansón Marcos, D. Hernández González, M. L. España López
DOI:
10.26044/esi2019/ESI-0090
Background/introduction
The medical field over the years has benefited enormously from the use of X-ray radiation with lots of applications in diagnosis and therapy.
The use of fluoroscopy has become commonplace and,
in some cases,
indispensable in the daily clinical practice of different units (1).
C-arm units are portable and allow to perform multiple different fluoroscopic examinations outside the radiology department.
Its use in orthopaedic surgery is increasing rapidly as surgery transitions to minimal-access surgery.
With less direct visualization,
surgery is being conducted with fluoroscopic guidance (2).
Paediatric patients are not an exception and also benefit from fluoroscopic procedures.
New Directive Euratom 2013/59 classifies exposures to paediatric patients as special practices (3).
Special attention shall be given to quality assurance programmes and the assessment of dose on those practices.
As a part of the optimisation process of medical exposure to patients,
diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are introduced.
Some DRLs are found in literature regarding typical fluoroscopic examinations performed at paediatric radiology departments,
such as Cystourethrography (MCU) or Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD),
but very few publications assess patient doses in surgical procedures conducted with fluoroscopic images outside radiology departments.
New C-arm units allow to export dosimetric information of the procedures among with the images to PACS systems,
facilitating the assessment of doses and establishment of local DRLs.
The purpose of this study is to assess the level of patient radiation dose received in orthopaedic fluoroscopic examinations to paediatric patients and to establish initial local DRLs.