scholarly journals Quality of radiation protection aprons and quality control routines at different diagnostic imaging modalities

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-74
Author(s):  
Linda Wie Bjørkås ◽  
Sandra Blø ◽  
Magnus Kristoffersen Rekdal ◽  
Albertina Rusandu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Nuclear Medicine ◽  
Radiation Dose ◽  
Emergency Room ◽  
Radiation Protection ◽  
Actual Condition ◽  
Radiation Doses ◽  
Diagnostic Modalities

Keywords: Radiation protection apron, Quality control, Routines, Radiation protection, Radiation doses   Abstract Introduction: The purpose of this project was to assess the quality of lead aprons at different departments at two hospitals and to investigate whether there was a connection between routines for controlling lead aprons and the actual condition of the lead aprons. Methods: Lead aprons were tested in several diagnostic modalities in two hospitals. The lead aprons were inspected visually and by palpation. Furthermore, the lead aprons were scanned with a fluoroscopy unit and the size of the defect was recorded. The radiation dose was measured behind defects exceeding 0,4 cm in length. Radiation protection officers at the two hospitals were contacted for a review of the procedures. Results: Defects were detected in 19% of the tested aprons. Most findings were discovered in emergency room 1, where 62,5% of the lead aprons had one or more defects. The measured radiation doses behind the defects ranged from 3.996 nGy to 83.370 nGy. No defects were detected on nuclear medicine 1, emergency room 2, CT 2 and intervention 2. Both hospitals' routines were based on the Norwegian Radiation Protection Regulations. Hospital 2 controlled most of the lead aprons one month prior to this project. Conclusion: A possible connection between the hospitals’ routines and the quality of the lead aprons is indicated by the fact that the hospital with the most defective lead aprons also had the least follow-up of the routines.

scholarly journals Radiation protection effect of mobile shield barrier for the medical personnel during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: a quasi-experimental prospective study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e027729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang Hyun Chung ◽  
Young Sook Park ◽  
Sang Bong Ahn ◽  
Byoung Kwan Son
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Dose ◽  
Prospective Study ◽  
Radiation Protection ◽  
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Radiation Doses ◽  
Endoscopic Retrograde ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Mean

ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of radiation protection offered by a newly designed mobile shield barrier for medical personnel during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).DesignQuasi-experimental prospective study.SettingERCP procedures conducted between October 2016 and June 2017 at a single secondary referral hospital that performs approximately 250 therapeutic ERCP procedures annually.InterventionsThe mobile shield barrier was a custom-made 2 mm Pb shielding plate (width: 120 cm, height: 190 cm) with a 0.5 mm Pb window (width: 115 cm, height: 60 cm) on its upper part was used. Four wheels were attached to the bottom to allow easy moving.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe radiation doses were measured during ERCP using personal thermoluminescence dosimetry (TLD) badges on both sides of the mobile shield barrier (patient’s side: TLD1 and medical staff’s side: TLD2). The radiation doses were also measured on the outer surface of the thyroid shield of the endoscopist (TLD3), and on the chest area inside the protective apron of the endoscopist (TLD4) and the main assistant (TLD5). The TLD was changed and reported once every 3 months. The radiation dose measured by TLD badges were compared.ResultsDuring the study period, a total of 128 ERCP procedures were performed. The mean fluoroscopy time per procedure was 244.9±257.0 s and the mean number of digital radiographs per procedure was 3.7±1.0. TLD1 (outside the barrier) had a mean radiation dose of 26.85±3.47 mSv and all the other TLDs (inside the barrier) had less than 1 mSv (p<0.001). In the post hoc analysis, the difference between TLD1 and others showed a statistical significance; however, there were no significant differences between the TLDs inside the barrier.ConclusionOur mobile shield barrier was useful to reduce the radiation exposure of medical personnel during ERCP.

Radiation doses of employees of a Nuclear Medicine Department after implementation of more rigorous radiation protection methods

2013 ◽  
Vol 157 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Piwowarska-Bilska ◽  
A. Supinska ◽  
M. H. Listewnik ◽  
P. Zorga ◽  
B. Birkenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Medicine ◽  
Radiation Protection ◽  
Radiation Doses ◽  
Medicine Department ◽  
Nuclear Medicine Department

scholarly journals Determination of 99Mo contamination in a nuclear medicine patient submitted to a diagnostic procedure with 99mTc

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (spe2) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Maranhão Dantas ◽  
Ana Letícia Almeida Dantas ◽  
Fábio Luiz Navarro Marques ◽  
Luiz Bertelli ◽  
Michael G. Stabin
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Medicine ◽  
Radiation Dose ◽  
Myocardial Scintigraphy ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Internal Contamination ◽  
Beta Particles ◽  
In Vivo Measurement ◽  
Direct Measurements

99mTc is a radionuclide widely used for imaging diagnosis in nuclear medicine. In Brazil it is obtained by elution from 99Mo-99mTc generators supplied by the Nuclear Energy Research Institute (IPEN). The elution is carried out in radiopharmacy laboratories located in hospitals and clinics. Depending of the quality of the generator and conditions of use during the elution process, 99Mo can be extracted from the column of the generator, becoming a radionuclidic impurity of the eluate used for the obtention of the radiopharmaceutical to be administered to the patient. 99Mo emits high-energy photons and beta particles and its presence degrades the quality of the image and unnecessarily increases the radiation dose delivered to the patient. An in-vivo measurement technique was developed to verify the occurrence of internal contamination by 99Mo in nuclear medicine patients. Direct measurements were made in a volunteer who underwent myocardial scintigraphy with 99mTc-sestamibi. The results indicated the presence of internal contamination of the patien by 99Mot. The activity was tracked for several days, and an assessment of the radiation dose from the contaminant 99Mo was made.

β-radiation exposure with 188Re-labelled pharmaceuticals

2005 ◽  
Vol 44 (03) ◽  
pp. 94-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Wunderlich ◽  
K. Behge ◽  
Th. Schönmuth ◽  
J. Kotzerke ◽  
M. Andreeff
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Dose ◽  
Radiation Exposure ◽  
Dose Rate ◽  
Radiation Protection ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Middle Finger ◽  
Beta Radiation ◽  
High Radiation ◽  
Days Of Therapy

SummaryAim: The number of therapies with radiopharmaceuticals labelled with 188Re is increasing requiring the documentation of the beta radiation exposure Hp(0.07) of the staff at all working and production sites and during the application and follow-up of the patient according to the new German Radiation Protection Law (StrlSchV). However, data for β-radiation exposure are rare. Therefore, we determined the personal dose Hp(0.07) of the skin of the hands handling 188Re radiopharmaceuticals to identify steps of high radiation exposure and to optimize working conditions. Method: Thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD 100) were fixed to the fingertips of the radiochemist, the physician and the nurse and compared to official ring dosimeters. In addition, to monitor radiation exposure continuously readable electronic beta- and gamma dosimeters EPD (Siemens) were used. At eight days in which therapies were performed these readings were evaluated. Results: Considering one therapy with a 188Re-labelled radiopharmaceutical the middle finger of the radiochemist (production) and the physician (application) showed a radiation burden of 894 and 664 μSv/GBq, respectively. The cumulative dose of the fingertips after eight days of therapy was 249 and 110 mSv for the radiochemist and physician, respectively. A cumulative finger dose after eight days of therapy of 17 and 38 μSv/GBq was found for physician and nurse leading to a Hp(0.07) of 3 and 6 mSv, respectively. Preparing the radiopharmaceutical labelled with 20GBq of 188Re the reading of the personal electronic dosimeter of the radiochemist showed a γ-dose rate H . p(10) of 55 μSv/h and a β-dose rate H . p(0.07) of 663 μSv/h which are obviously not representative for the true radiation dose to the skin of the fingertips. Conclusion: During therapy with 188Re-labelled radiopharmaceuticals the true radiation dose to the skin of the finger tips exceeds by far the readings of the official ring dosimeters as well as the continuously readable beta- and gamma dosimeters. This means a risk in exceeding the radiation limit of 500 mSv/a given in the German Radiation Protection Law (§55 StrSchV) primarily in the working field of the radiochemist and the administering physician.

scholarly journals Multi-detector computed tomography radiation doses in the follow-up of paediatric neurosurgery patients in KwaZulu-Natal: A dosimetric audit

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher T. Sikwila ◽  
Khatija Amod ◽  
Brindley D. Cupido ◽  
Ali Sabri
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Radiation Dose ◽  
Radiation Doses ◽  
Current Time ◽  
Paediatric Neurosurgery ◽  
Radiology Reports ◽  
Clinical Scenarios ◽  
Multi Detector Computed Tomography ◽  
Scan Length

Background: Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) is the preferred modality for follow-up of paediatric neurosurgery patients. Serial imaging, however, has the disadvantage of an ionising radiation burden, which may be mitigated using the ‘as low as reasonably achievable’ (ALARA) principle. Objectives: The primary objectives were to determine the radiation dose exposure in paediatric patients subjected to MDCT imaging following neurosurgery and to compare these values with references in current literature. Our secondary objective was to assess the relationship between radiation dose and clinical scenario.Method: Retrospective descriptive data were collected from all paediatric postsurgical patients (n = 169) between the ages of 0 and 12 years who had their first followed-up scan in the year 2010 and were followed up for six months or less. Dose-length product (DLP) and current-time product were collected from the picture archiving and communication system. Demographic data including radiology reports were collected from the hospital information system. The effective doses (ED) were calculated from the corresponding DLP using age-adjusted conversion factors. For purposes of comparison with other studies, median dosimetric values were calculated and the children were grouped into three age ranges, namely younger than 3 years, 3–7 years and 8–12 years old.Results: The highest median radiation doses were noted in patients being followed-up for intracranial abscesses (1183 mGy cm) in the 8–12 year age group, most of whom were female. The lowest radiation doses were for intracranial shunt follow-ups (447 mGy cm). Median values for DLP, ED and current-time product (mAs) were comparable to reference doses in all three age groups. However, our study showed a much broader distribution of values with higher upper limits relative to reference values. Indications for follow-up included shunts (n = 110; 65%), intracranial abscess (n = 31; 18%), subdural haematoma (n = 13; 8%) and tumour (n = 6; 4%). Head trauma only accounted for 5% of the cases.Conclusion: The median radiation doses measured were comparable to values in literature and therefore deemed acceptable. The wider dose distributions of all three dosimetric parameters (DLP, ED and mAs) were attributed to inappropriate use of scan length and reference effective mAs. Adherence to recommended scan length protocols should be encouraged. Evaluation of the current use of reference effective mAs is needed and will require a separate study to determine the smallest value that can be used without compromising image quality. Further dose reductions could be achieved by omission of unenhanced scans in the follow-up of intracranial abscesses. It is recommended that diagnostic reference levels specific to South African clinical scenarios be developed to make local dosimetric audits more relevant.

Construction of Analog Electronics Course Design a Study of Quality Control System

2012 ◽  
Vol 220-223 ◽  
pp. 3068-3071
Author(s):  
Jing Zhu Yu ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Guo Hua Fu ◽  
Chun Yu Mao
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Control System ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Quality Control System ◽  
Theoretical Knowledge ◽  
Analog Electronics

Curriculum design is the key to teaching practice in analog electronics design, the curriculum design of analog electronics technology is a follow-up course who after completing the analog electronics. Through the steps of the design, welding, commissioning, and eventually completed the course requirements of the physical works. The design of analog electronic courses can let students understand the design process of an electronic works which for the tops of design, drawing, welding, assembling, testing, etc. Greatly improve the students’ practical ability. On the other hand, by the application of theoretical knowledge, students can also greatly improve the theory and solve practical problems. The ability to learn lots of knowledge can not be learned from textbooks. But at the same time, in curriculum design, will also facing unexpected contradictions, these contradictions show the contradiction between the analog electronics course design and quality control. Therefore, in order to solve the problems in the design of analog electronics courses, improve the quality of students who have completed their work. The curriculum design of analog electronics technology must have a strong quality control system compatible with the curriculum design.

scholarly journals Hybrid installations for multimodal PET/SPECT/CT visualization in Ukraine and quality control in nuclear medicine

2020 ◽  
pp. 16-22
Author(s):  
A. Usenko ◽  
M. Kostylev ◽  
P. Korol ◽  
O. Shcherbina
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Nuclear Medicine ◽  
Hybrid Imaging ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Quality Management System ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Photon Emission ◽  
Emission Computed Tomography ◽  
Control Parameters

P.L. Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine SI "O.O. Shalimov National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology of the NAMS of Ukraine", Kiev, Ukraine The article considers the prospects of using hybrid imaging methods (PET/SPECT/CT) and quality control in nuclear medicine. The quality control system is a comprehensive measure that involves the creation and implementation of quality guidelines, quality control programs, instructions and protocols for checking control parameters. A quality control audit is a measure that allows you to verify the proper functioning of the department, identify and eliminate errors and improve the quality of patient care. All technical parameters of the devices should be checked according to standardized protocols to ensure reproduction and comparability of results. The availability of additional equipment for inspections of control parameters must be provided in advance, as well as a set of actions aimed at maintaining the quality of equipment and its timely update in order to meet modern requirements. Due to the integration of SPECT, PET and CT modules, the multimodal system is used for use in various fields of clinical medicine, in particular in oncology, cardiology, endocrinology and neurology. The comprehensive implementation of a quality management system for diagnostic tests, as an end result, allows to increase the effectiveness of these tests (not only in nuclear medicine) and to guarantee "trust" in these methods. Key words: hybrid imaging, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography, quality control.

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