Radioprotection 2025, 60( 3), 221 – 233 © R. A. C. Guassu et al., Published by EDP Sciences 2025 https:// doi. org / 10.1051 / radiopro / 2024057
Available online at: www. radioprotection. org
ARTICLE Estimating occupational exposure in interventional radiology through air kerma area product � calculation of effective dose conversion factors
R. A. C. Guassu 1, D. M Seraphim 2, M. Alvarez 2, Y. M. Mascarenhas 3, M. F. de Andrade Magon 3, P. Nicolucci 4 and D. R. de Pina 5,*
1 Institute of Bioscience, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil. 2 Medical Physics and Radioprotection Nucleus, Botucatu Medical School, Clinics Hospital, Botucatu, Brazil. 3 Sapra Landauer Company, São Carlos, Brazil. 4 Department of Physics, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. 5 Department of Infectious Diseases, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy / Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State
University, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Received: 8 August 2024 / Accepted: 24 November 2024
Abstract – During interventional radiology procedures, interventionists are positioned close to the patient and directly exposed to ionizing radiation. This study presents a methodology to estimate the effective dose of interventionists through Air kerma Area Product( P KA) in three interventional procedure modalities: coronary, cerebral, and peripheral. Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters were used in several body regions( thyroid, eye lens, abdomen, feet, and hands) to assess equivalent doses and to convert external to internal doses � leading to effective doses related to each modality. These effective doses were then correlated to the total P KA given by the equipment. Thus, an effective dose estimate factor was calculated to represent the conversion between equipment parameters and the effective dose obtained from dosimeters, resulting in a novel methodology. The agreement between the methods was in the range of ± 0.13 mSv for angiographies and �8.3 to 5.3 mSv for angioplasties. These findings underscore the reliability of P KA as a predictor of effective dose, facilitating a rapid and precise assessment of occupational exposure in IR. This novel approach has the potential to enhance radiation safety protocols and optimize protection strategies for IR professionals, ensuring more accurate monitoring and control of radiation exposure in clinical settings.
Keywords: Interventional radiology / dosimetry / kerma area product / optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter
1 Introduction
During interventional radiology( IR) professionals are exposed to significantly high levels of scattered radiation originating from the patient( Erdem et al., 2022; Jacob et al., 2013). The increasing use of IR techniques, guided by fluoroscopy, is driven by their minimally invasive nature, which helps avoid more complex surgeries and reduces hospitalization time( Kulkarni et al., 2019). However, as the complexity of these procedures grows, so does the procedure duration and the cumulative Air kerma, elevating the risk of radiation-induced injuries over years of work.( Kulkarni et al., 2019; Vano et al., 2011)
* Corresponding author: diana. pina @ unesp. br
The dosimetry of the medical team is performed using a personal dosimeter worn under the protective apron to measure a representative dose of effective dose. However, it is important to highlight those significant parts of the body, such as the arms and the head, are not shielded by the apron. This can result in considerable exposure to these unprotected areas during procedures, especially due to the presence of a non-homogeneous radiation field in this region( Damet et al., 2011; Jacob et al., 2013). In Brazil, doses received by the IR staff above 0.1 mSv are registered due to National Regulations and are accompanied monthly by the institution( Miller et al., 2010). However, the high workload may cause a significant time gap between radiation exposure and the monthly dosimeter reading( Häusler et al., 2009).
The staff doses in IR vary due to several factors, such as exposure time, X-ray tube load, type of examination,
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License( https:// creativecommons. org / licenses / by / 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.