Kerma area product method for effective dose estimation during lumbar epidural steroid injection procedures: phantom...

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiology
• Radiation Dosimetry

Background:

• Lumbar epidural steroid injections (LESIs) are common procedures.
• Accurate estimation of effective dose is crucial for patient safety.
• Fluoroscopy is frequently used for guidance, involving radiation exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To derive a dose conversion coefficient for estimating effective dose in LESIs.
• To establish a method for easily calculating effective dose from kerma area product.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an anthropomorphic phantom and mobile fluoroscopy system.
• Employed metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor detectors for organ dose measurements.
• Calculated effective dose based on International Commission on Radiologic Protection publication 60 guidelines.

Main Results:

• The effective dose for an average LESI was determined to be 0.93 mSv.
• The corresponding kerma area product was 2.80 Gy.cm².
• A dose conversion coefficient of 0.33 mSv/(Gy.cm²) was derived.

Conclusions:

• The effective dose for LESIs can be readily estimated.
• Multiplying the derived dose conversion coefficient by the kerma area product provides an easy estimation.
• This facilitates radiation dose monitoring in these procedures.