Radiation Protection Requirements for a Whole-Body CT Scanner

Gross, Gerald G.; McCullough, Edwin C.

doi:10.1148/122.3.825

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Indeed, attitudes among radiologists have changed substantially from the days when the drive to maximize image quality led to the use of intravenous valium sedation or general anesthesia to control for patient motion artifacts on head CT images (172). After key early reports that documented the levels of radiation exposure to both patients and health care workers from CT scanning (374)(375)(376)(377), the first controlled comparative analysis examined 15 early CT scanners and returned doses of 20-100 mGy per study (378). A decade later, these values had not changed substantially, although variations across routine clinical protocols led to the recommendation that radiation dose should be considered in addition to image quality when selecting scanning parameters (379,380).…”

Section: Tempering Enthusiasm With Cautionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computed Tomography: Revolutionizing the Practice of Medicine for 40 Years

Rubin

2014

Radiology

152

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Computed tomography (CT) has had a profound effect on the practice of medicine. Both the spectrum of clinical applications and the role that CT has played in enhancing the depth of our understanding of disease have been profound. Although almost 90 000 articles on CT have been published in peer-reviewed journals over the past 40 years, fewer than 5% of these have been published in Radiology. Nevertheless, these almost 4000 articles have provided a basis for many important medical advances. By enabling a deepened understanding of anatomy, physiology, and pathology, CT has facilitated key advances in the detection and management of disease. This article celebrates this breadth of scientific discovery and development by examining the impact that CT has had on the diagnosis, characterization, and management of a sampling of major health challenges, including stroke, vascular diseases, cancer, trauma, acute abdominal pain, and diffuse lung diseases, as related to key technical advances in CT and manifested in Radiology.

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Section: Tempering Enthusiasm With Cautionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computed Tomography: Revolutionizing the Practice of Medicine for 40 Years

Rubin

2014

Radiology

152

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Limiting Exposure to Scattered Radiation From a CT System Installed in a Two-Sided Deployable ISO-Shelter

Tucker,

Wirt

2023

Military Medicine

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Introduction Diagnostic radiology in the deployed military environment (in-theater diagnostic radiology) was greatly improved in the early 1990s with the addition of CT systems installed in military-grade one-sided expandable ISO-shelters. These shelters were provided with limited radiation shielding by several flexible lead curtains covering only a small portion of the shelter walls, necessitating placement of deployed CT systems at substantial distances from the field medical facility to limit exposures to personnel from secondary radiation. The newest generation deployable CT system is housed in a two-sided ISO-shelter with radiation shielding applied to the shelter walls. To ensure compliance with military and national standards for protection against ionizing radiation, we developed a simple method to calculate safe distances based on workload, frequencies of the various CT exams performed, and occupancy of controlled and uncontrolled areas. Materials and Methods Calculation of radiation air kerma rates outside a two-sided CT ISO-shelter was developed using guidance from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Report No. 147. The simplified formula included measured radiation transmission factors for the ISO-shelter wall and installed shielding, occupancy factors, fraction of all CT exams that covered the chest, abdomen, and/or pelvis, total number of CT exams per week, and shielding design goals for controlled and uncontrolled areas. The formula was modified subsequently to account for whole-body CT exams expected during armed conflict. Results Calculated safe distances revealed that the shielded two-sided CT ISO-shelter can be positioned much closer to the surgical shelters of the field medical unit than the previously unshielded one-sided CT ISO-shelter. Tables of safe distances for controlled and uncontrolled areas for the two medical support environments of disaster relief/peacekeeping and combat are provided. For example, for a controlled area at 100% occupancy when 300 CT exams per week are performed and 50% of those exams are of the chest, abdomen, and/or pelvis, the safe distance between the nearest surgical shelter and the shielded CT ISO-shelter is 2.1 m. By comparison, the safe distance for an unshielded CT ISO-shelter is 8.5 m under the same conditions. For lower occupancy factors and lower weekly workload, safe distances from the nearest surgical shelter are often negligible. Conclusions The shielding in the new deployable CT ISO-shelter substantially reduces the distance between it and the surgical shelters of the field medical unit necessary to ensure radiation safety. Safe distances depend on several factors including workload, types and frequencies of CT exams, occupancy factors, and classification of the area around the ISO-shelter, i.e., controlled and uncontrolled.

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Radiation Doses in Computerized Tomography

Wilson

Sage

1979

Medical Journal of Australia

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Radiation Protection Requirements for a Whole-Body CT Scanner

Cited by 3 publications

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Computed Tomography: Revolutionizing the Practice of Medicine for 40 Years

Computed Tomography: Revolutionizing the Practice of Medicine for 40 Years

Limiting Exposure to Scattered Radiation From a CT System Installed in a Two-Sided Deployable ISO-Shelter

Radiation Doses in Computerized Tomography

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