Effective Techniques to Reduce Radiation Exposure to Medical Staff during Assist of X-ray Computed Tomography Examination

Abstract

SummaryMedical staffs like radiological technologists, doctors, and nurses are at an increased risk of exposure to radiation while assisting the patient in a position or monitor contrast medium injection during computed tomography (CT). However, methods to protect medical staff from radiation exposure and protocols for using radiological protection equipment have not been standardized and differ among hospitals. In this study, the distribution of scattered X-rays in a CT room was measured by placing electronic personal dosimeters in locations where medical staff stands beside the CT scanner gantry while assisting the patient and the exposure dose was measured. Moreover, we evaluated non-uniform exposure and revealed effective techniques to reduce the exposure dose to medical staff during CT. The dose of the scattered X-rays was the lowest at the gantry and at the examination table during both head and abdominal CT. The dose was the highest at the trunk of the upper body of the operator corresponding to a height of 130 cm during head CT and at the head corresponding to a height of 150 cm during abdominal CT. The maximum dose to the crystalline lens was approximately 600 Sv during head CT. We found that the use of volumetric CT scanning and X-ray protective goggles, and face direction toward the gantry reduced the exposure dose, particularly to the crystalline lens, for which lower equivalent dose during CT scan has been recently recommended in the International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 118.

Occupational radiation dose to the lens of the eye of medical staff who assist in diagnostic CT scans

“…In this study, radiation safety glasses showed a 51% dose reduction, which was almost the same as previously reported for the protective glasses with 0.07-mm Pb-equivalent thickness (51.3%-60.0%) [7,10,13,28,36,37,38]. Increasing the lead content of radiation safety glasses (e.g.…”

“…Our results proved that intensive care physicians, who are frequently exposed to radiation during CT for "diagnostic" purposes, had an H p (3) of 0.49 mSv/procedure (median) without radiation safety glasses (Table 8). Our data was about the same as the value of H p (3) previously reported for the CT-assistance personnel during "diagnostic" CT scans [28,29]. Furthermore, our data showed a significantly greater H p (3) than the previously reported doses to the lens of the eye for the operator during CT fluoroscopy for "treatment" purposes (Table 1).…”

“…Several reports have examined occupational dose to the lens of the eye in physicians performing these procedures [15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23] (Table 1), and special protective equipment and their effects in dose reduction [22,24,25,26]. However, while reports have already investigated nurses assisting pediatric patients in the CT room during CT scans for "diagnostic" purposes [27] or in phantom experiments [28,29], no reports have described direct measurement in medical staff assisting adult patients undergoing high-dose imaging procedures.…”

Occupational Radiation Dose, Especially for Eye Lens: Hp(3), in Medical Staff Members Involved in Computed Tomography Examinations

“…Many studies have investigated the occupational radiation dose in interventional radiology (IR), wherein medical staff may be exposed to considerable scattered X-rays. However, few studies have discussed occupational radiation dose in CT examinations [1][2][3][4][5][6]12]. Our literature search did not reveal any report that directly investigated the radiation dose of eye lens as H p (3).…”

“…Medical staff members (e.g., physicians, nurses and radiological technologists) occasionally remain in the CT examination room during irradiation to monitor the injection of the contrast media, to restrain the patient, operate medical devices, etc. [1][2][3][4][5][6]. These actions are performed for medical safety/procedures or maintaining image quality.…”