Radiation Protection Dosimetry Advance Access originally published online on February 18, 2008
Radiation Protection Dosimetry 2008 129(1-3):91-95; doi:10.1093/rpd/ncn035
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Radiation dose survey in a paediatric cardiac catheterisation laboratory equipped with flat-panel detectors
1 Department of Radiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, 49 Herestraat, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
2 Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, 49 Herestraat, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
3 SCK·CEN, 200 Boeretang, 2400 Mol, Belgium
* Corresponding author: odragusin{at}yahoo.com
Flat-panel X-ray detectors for fluoroscopy represent a modern imaging equipment that is being implemented in paediatric cardiac catheterisation laboratories. Infants and children represent a group of patients with a high radiosensitivity. A survey of 273 (126 diagnostic and 147 therapeutic) paediatric catheterisations was performed to investigate the radiation doses delivered by the new X-ray system. Statistical parameters (75th, 50th and 25th percentiles) of dose-area product (DAP) and fluoroscopy time are reported for patients divided into six age groups: 0–30 d, >1–12 m, >1–3, >3–5, >5–10 and >10–15 y. For accurate risk estimation, effective dose (E) has been determined for all patients using the PCXMC software. For diagnostic procedures, the third quartile of E ranges from 11.3 mSv for newborns to 7 mSv for children of 10–15 y. Therapeutic procedures are more complex than diagnostic. Consequently, the third quartile of E is 22.6 mSv (0–30 d), 18.6 (>1–12 m), 13.3 (>1–3 y), 21.5 (>3–5 y), 17.8 (>5–10 y) and 34.1 mSv (>10–15 y). Dose conversion factors, which relate the DAP and E, have been estimated for each age group. The results of this study may serve as a first step in the optimisation process, in order to make full use of the dose reduction potential of flat-panel systems.