Radiation exposure of personnel during digital subtraction angiography

Radiation exposure to the lens of physicians performing intravenous and hand-injected intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were monitored with and without a combined face and body shield. Shielding provided nearly a three-fold reduction in dose for both intravenous and intraarterial exams, with the highest doses recorded for intraarterial exams due to longer fluoroscopy and exposure during imaging. When compared with the NCRP guidelines of maximum exposure to the lens, an angiographer could theoretically perform up to two intraarterial and 14 intravenous studies per day with protection or one intraarterial and two intravenous studies per day without protection. The exposure values in this study reflect our equipment and personal technique in carotid DSA and may not apply to other departments, but should encourage other angiographers to monitor exposure in their own angiography suites.