Radiation and Fluoroscopy Safety in GI Endoscopy | January 2022-IAEA Poster: Patient Radiation Protection

IAEA Poster: Patient Radiation Protection

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This document provides ten key points for radiation protection of patients during fluoroscopy procedures. The first point is to maximize the distance between the X-ray tube and the patient as much as possible. Secondly, the distance between the patient and the image receptor should be minimized. The third point is to minimize fluoroscopy time, which can be achieved by using pulsed fluoroscopy with the lowest frame rate possible. The fourth point is to use the lowest beam entrance port by rotating the tube around the patient to avoid exposing the same area of the skin in different projections. The fifth point is to avoid the use of magnification, as decreasing the field of view increases the dose rate. The sixth point mentions that larger patients or thicker body parts trigger an increase in entrance surface dose. The seventh point states that oblique projections also increase the entrance surface dose. The eighth point advises to minimize the number of frames and cine runs to a clinically acceptable level. The ninth point is to avoid using the acquisition mode for fluoroscopy, as the cine dose rate is much higher. Lastly, the tenth point is to use collimation to limit the X-ray beam to the area of interest. Overall, these ten pearls aim to protect patients from unnecessary radiation exposure during fluoroscopy procedures.

Keywords

radiation protection

patients

fluoroscopy procedures

X-ray tube

distance

image receptor

fluoroscopy time

beam entrance port

magnification

collimation