Radiation risk to the urologist during endourologic procedures, and a new shield that reduces exposure

With the increasing use of endourologic procedures to diagnose and treat urologic problems, the urologist's exposure to radiation from fluoroscopy becomes an important safety consideration. Although collimation of the x-ray beam generally prevents direct radiation exposure by the urologist, the patient absorbs radiation during the procedure and becomes a secondary source of exposure through radiation scatter.

We measured radiation exposure to the urologist during endourologic procedures using standard body shields and thyroid collars. We repeated our surveys using a newly designed urologic surgery radiation shield.

We found dose rates to the urologist of up to 1100 mrem per hour of flouroscopy time. The maximum yearly whole-body exposure as recommended by the National Council on Radiation Protection is 5000 mrem, or 5 rem.

Urologists should be cognizant of this radiation risk, and the concepts of time, distance, and shielding are critically important to know in efforts to reduce radiation exposure. We introduce a newly designed fluoroscopic drape which reduces the radiation dosage to the urologist from scatter nearly 70-fold. We found this shield to be very practical and easy to use, and we offer it as an effective safeguard against secondary radiation exposure.