Background/introduction
On occasion CT is required for the proper clinical management of a pregnant patient. It is internationally recognised that CT irradiation of a pregnant patient presents increased challenges when addressing the risk benefit relationship in diagnostic radiology. An accurate estimate of the radiation dose to the fetus is important when CT examination of the abdominal area is required. Knowledge of the fetal dose allows the Clinician to reach a considered mature decision on the level of risk the CT examination presents to the fetus. This...
Description of activity and work performed
Materials:
Siemens Somatom Sensation 64 CT scanner
Alderson Rando anthropomorphic phantom
Tissue equivalent slabs of resin
Radcal 10x06-6 ion chamber (Calibrated Sept 2019, c = 0.99)
Methodology:
The RANDO phantom produced by Alderson Research Laboratories together with slabs of tissue equivalent resin were used to simulate a pregnant patient. The RANDO phantom is separated in to thirty five sections: sections 1-34 are 2.5 cm thick and section 35 is 9 cm thick.
A calibrated Radcal 10x6-6 ion chamber was placed in the following positions 6...
Conclusion and recommendations
This study has shown that it is possible to easily measure fetal radiation doses arising from departments own CT protocols using apparatus that is readily available in most medical physics departments. A CT brain scan on a pregnant patient results in a negligible dose to the fetus. CTPA and CT abdomen examinations results in fetal doses that are below any threshold doses believed to induce any stochastic or deterministic effects2. It is recommended that should a pregnant patient have a clinically justified requirement for a...
Personal/organisational information
E. House; Galway/IE - nothing to disclose S. Cleary; Galway/IE - nothing to disclose B. Tuohy; Galway/IE - nothing to disclose
References
Goldberg-Stein S, Liu B, Hahn PF, Lee S. Body CT during pregnancy: utilization trends, examination indications, and fetal radiation doses. AJR 2011; 196:146–151
Wagner LK, Lester RG, Saldana LR. Exposure of the pregnant patient to diagnostic radiations: a guide to medical management. Madison, Wis: Medical Physics Publishing 1997
Stovall M, Blackwell CR, Cundiff J. Fetal dose from radiotherapy with photon beams. Medical physics 1995; 22:1
Goldberg-Stein S, Liu B, Hahn PF, Lee S. Radiation Dose Management: Part 2, Estimating Fetal Radiation Risk From CT During...
