Effect of Real-Time Radiation Dose Feedback on Pediatric Interventional Radiology Staff Radiation Exposure

Purpose: To measure and compare individual staff radiation dose levels during interventional radiologic (IR) procedures with and without real-time feedback to evaluate whether it has any impact on staff radiation dose. Materials and Methods: A prospective trial was performed in which individuals filling five different staff roles wore radiation dosimeters during all IR procedures during two phases: a 12-week "closed" phase (measurements recorded but display was off, so no feedback was provided) and a 17-week "open" phase (display was on and provided real-time feedback). Radiation dose rates were recorded and compared by Mann Whitney U test. Results: There was no significant difference in median procedure time, fluoroscopy time, or patient dose (dose area product normalized to fluoroscopy time) between the two phases. Overall, the median staff dose was lower in the open phase (0.56 mu Sv/ min of fluoroscopy time) than in the closed phase (3.01 mu Sv/min; P < .05). The IR attending physician dose decreased significantly for procedures for which the physicians were close to the patient, but not for ones for which they were far away. Conclusions: A radiation dose monitoring system that provides real-tithe feedback to the interventional staff can significantly reduce radiation exposure to the primary operator, most likely by increasing staff compliance with use of radiation protection equipment and dose reduction techniques.