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Reducing dose at barium enema: radiographers do it digitally.
1Department of Medical Physics, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Mandeville Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 8AL, UK.
The British Journal of Radiology
|August 3, 2002
Summary
Radiographers can now perform barium enemas without increasing patient radiation dose or compromising diagnostic accuracy. A new protocol using digital spot films eliminated the previous dose penalty associated with radiographer-led examinations.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiologic Technology
- Radiation Dose Reduction
Background:
- Previous protocols led to higher patient radiation doses when radiographers performed barium enemas.
- A dose penalty arose from radiographers using restrictive protocols requiring plain radiographs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare radiation doses and diagnostic accuracy of barium enemas performed by radiographers and radiologists under a revised protocol.
- To determine if a new protocol eliminates dose differences between staff categories.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of dose-area product (DAP) measurements for 801 barium enema examinations.
- Comparison of DAP between examinations performed by radiographers and consultant radiologists.
- Evaluation of diagnostic accuracy by comparing radiologist reports to known outcomes.
Main Results:
- The revised protocol, using digital spot films, resulted in no significant dose penalty for radiographers (mean DAP 9.8 Gycm²).
- Radiation doses were comparable between radiographers (9.4-10.3 Gycm²) and radiologists (10.2-11.1 Gycm²).
- Diagnostic accuracy was maintained when radiographers performed the examinations.
Conclusions:
- Radiographers can perform barium enemas effectively under the modified protocol.
- Digital spot films successfully replaced routine radiographs, eliminating dose penalty and maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
- The revised protocol allows for efficient and safe barium enema examinations by radiographers.