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Portrait of Anetta Bolejko. Photo

Anetta Bolejko

Associate professor, Principal investigator

Portrait of Anetta Bolejko. Photo

TO USE OR NOT USE PATIENT SHIELDING ON PREGNANT WOMEN UNDERGOING CT PULMONARY ANGIOGRAPHY : A PHANTOM STUDY

Author

  • Dino Begano
  • Marcus Söderberg
  • Anetta Bolejko

Summary, in English

Pregnancy increases the risk of pulmonary embolism. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is used for diagnosis. CT generates ionising radiation, and thus, abdominal shielding may be used. This phantom study investigated the effects of patient shielding and scan length reduction on the fetal and maternal ionising radiation dose from CTPA. The absorbed dose to the fetus was measured using thermoluminescent dosemeters. Estimated effective doses to the pregnant patient were based on the dose-length products. Shielding increased both the effective dose to the patient by 47% and the mean absorbed dose to the fetus (0.10 vs. 0.12 mGy; p < 0.001) compared with unshielded standard CTPA, as it affected the automatic exposure control. Shielded short CTPA marginally lowered only the mean fetal absorbed dose (0.03 vs. 0.02 mGy; p = 0.018). Shortening the scan reduced the fetal absorbed dose most effectively by 70% (0.10 vs. 0.03 mGy; p = 0.006), compared with the standard unshielded scan. Shielding modestly reduces fetal radiation dose but may compromise automatic exposure control, possibly increasing the maternal and fetal radiation dose. Shortening the scan is beneficial, assuming anatomical coverage is secured.

Department/s

  • Medical Radiation Physics, Malmö
  • Care in high technological environments
  • Radiology Diagnostics, Malmö

Publishing year

2020-07-24

Language

English

Pages

458-465

Publication/Series

Radiation Protection Dosimetry

Volume

189

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Topic

  • Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

Status

Published

Research group

  • Medical Radiation Physics, Malmö
  • Care in high technological environments
  • Radiology Diagnostics, Malmö

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1742-3406