Prospective workup for the estimation of conceptus dose in fluoroscopically guided procedures

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiological Sciences
• Radiation Dosimetry

Background:

• Interventional radiology and cardiology procedures involve radiation exposure.
• Accurate estimation of conceptus dose is crucial for risk-benefit analysis in pregnant patients.
• Existing methods may not provide pre-procedural dose estimations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a methodology for estimating conceptus radiation dose before interventional radiology or cardiology procedures.
• To enable informed decision-making regarding radiation exposure in pregnant patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the National Cancer Institute dosimetry system for Radiography and Fluoroscopy dose calculator tool.
• Employed Monte Carlo radiation transport for organ absorbed dose estimation.
• Developed a data collection procedure for pre-procedural dose estimation.

Main Results:

• The methodology supports pre-procedural decision-making for interventionalists.
• Pre-procedural conceptus dose estimates facilitate risk-benefit assessment against medical necessity.
• The method can guide real-time dose monitoring by determining maximum permissible cumulative air kerma (CAK) levels.

Conclusions:

• A novel methodology for pre-procedural conceptus dose estimation in interventional fluoroscopy was successfully developed.
• The prospective model integrates professional experience and quantitative metrics for accurate dose assessment.