Variation in radiation doses in paediatric cardiac catheterisation procedures

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Pediatric Cardiology
• Radiation Protection

Background:

• Pediatric cardiac catheterization involves procedures with variable radiation exposure.
• Assessing and optimizing radiation doses is critical for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine entrance dose variations (DAP) in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.
• To investigate methods for optimizing radiation protection during these procedures.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 190 pediatric patients (0-10 years) undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac catheterization.
• Data collection included patient demographics, radiographic factors, fluoroscopy/cine time, and dose-area product (DAP) values.
• Estimation of effective doses from DAP and correlation analysis with patient factors and procedure parameters.

Main Results:

• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) occlusion procedures showed the highest mean DAP (23.21 Gy-cm²).
• Diagnostic and septostomy procedures had the lowest mean DAP values (7.77 and 6.95 Gy-cm², respectively).
• Factors influencing dose variation were investigated across different age groups and procedures.

Conclusions:

• Significant variations in radiation doses exist among different pediatric cardiac catheterization procedures.
• PDA occlusion requires particular attention for radiation dose optimization.
• Further research into radiation protection strategies tailored to specific procedures is warranted.