Radiation Protection Optimisation in Interventional Procedures

Abstract

The regular use of x-ray techniques for the visual control of different types of medical procedures has become a significant source of radiation both to patients and to staff. The exposure to ionising radiation involved from procedure to procedure differs and depends on the type of x-ray equipment used, the skills of the equipment operator, as well as the physical structure and size of the patient. This paper presents a brief description of non-vascular interventional procedures, in terms of their type, x-ray equipment and absorbed dose to the patient. These procedures are performed mainly by physicians, more often not familiar with Radiation Protection rules and therefore, despite the rather low doses received by the staff, the dose to the patient may be locally very high. This is a main reason for the continuous radiation protection education and training of the staff involved with such procedures.