Introduction In interventional radiology, minimally invasive image-guided procedures with ionizing radiation are performed. These procedures have a high diagnostic performance and constitute a safer alternative to surgical treatment of many clinical diseases such as cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. Directive 2013/59/Euratom (1) has been partially transposed into Spanish legislation Royal Decree 601/2019 (2), on justification and optimization of medical exposures. This decree specifies the need to establish reference levels for diagnostic procedures (DRLs) as well as their periodic review, especially for high dose practices such as...

The study was carried out in the Vascular Radiology section of University Hospital la Princesa, in Madrid (Spain). This department has two available units, a Siemens Artis Zee Floor and a Philips Azurion Clarity 7 B20 biplane. Most common procedures performed in 2020 of different complexity were selected for the establishment of the local DRLs both in diagnosis and therapy. Selected procedures included were lower extremity arteriography, hepatic chemoembolization, cerebral aneurysm embolization, biliary drainage, central venous catheter replacement and drainage catheter placement. The dosimetric quantities...

Results and discussion The highest reference levels obtained correspond to therapeutic procedures such as hepatic chemoembolization (163 Gycm2) or cerebral aneurysm embolization (48 Gycm2). The lowest levels, as expected, correspond to diagnostic procedures such as lower extremity arteriography (18 Gycm2) and biliary drainage (15 Gycm2), and to procedures such as drainage catheter placement (1.1 Gycm2) and central venous catheter replacement (0.9 Gycm2). Table 1 contains mean, median and standard deviation for KAP at different procedures, as well as the fluoroscopy time. [Fig 2] Preliminary dose...

Establishing local reference dose levels will help improving the radiological safety of patients and professionals who perform procedures without minimising image quality, especially for those high dose practices. Online dose management systems are necessary tools for establishing reference levels, and therefore for optimising doses in the several procedures that require the use of ionising radiation.

Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom. :73. Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social. Real Decreto 601/2019, de 18 de octubre, sobre justificación y optimización del uso de las radiaciones ionizantes para la protección radiológica de las personas con ocasión de exposiciones médicas. [Internet]. 2019. Disponible en: https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rd/2019/10/18/601. Vañó E, Miller DL, Martin CJ, Rehani MM, Kang K, Rosenstein...

P. Botella Faus: Nothing to disclose P. García Castañón: Nothing to disclose S. HONORATO HERNANDEZ: Nothing to disclose R. FAYOS-SOLA CAPILLA: Nothing to disclose P. Rodríguez Carnero: Nothing to disclose C. PRIETO MARTIN: Nothing to disclose