ESR News November 2014
The radiation protection orientation session in Bologna
John Damilakis, Professor of Medical Physics
The use of x-ray equipment in medicine is increasing throughout Europe. Education and training courses in medical radiation protection, harmonised at EU level, are of great importance for healthcare personnel working with ionising radiation, to keep exposure as low as reasonably achievable. The EuroSafe Imaging campaign is the ESR’s latest initiative to promote quality and safety in medical imaging. The mission of EuroSafe Imaging is to support and strengthen medical radiation protection across Europe following a holistic, inclusive approach. As part of EuroSafe Imaging’s education and training activities, the ESR organises radiation protection sessions with its subspecialty societies and related medical professional organisations, to promote knowledge of the theory and clinical practice of radiation protection.
The ‘EuroSafe Imaging radiation protection orientation session’ took place in Bologna, Italy on October 1, 2014. This was a half-day session held prior to the Management in Radiology (MIR) 2014 annual meeting. Below is the scientific program of the session, the speakers, and the learning objectives for each presentation. After the presentations, course directors Prof. J. Damilakis and Prof. P. Vock discussed cases related to clinical practice of radiation protection with participants. There were twelve participants including radiologists, radiographers, one medical physicist and specialists working in the industry, from several European countries. Experience from Bologna’s orientation session indicates that recruiting participants from diverse backgrounds is beneficial.
Table. The radiation protection orientation session in Bologna. Presentation titles, speakers and learning objectives
Radiation Protection in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology: The Basics and beyond
John Damilakis
1. To understand basic concepts of radiological protection
2. To understand the limitations of CTDIvol and DLP with respect to CT dose estimates
3. To learn how to optimize patient radiation dose in fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures
4. To learn how to minimize occupational radiation dose from fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures
Patient dose management in CT
John Damilakis
1. To understand the effect of the CT protocol parameters on patient radiation dose
2. To become familiar with the dose levels currently encountered in CT
2. To get practical advice on how to optimize protocols
4. To become familiar with new developments towards dose reduction in CT
Additional practical approaches to optimizing adult and paediatric CT
Peter Vock
1. To discuss aspects related to radiation-induced cancer risk
2. To understand the importance of patient centering on patient dose and image quality
3. To learn to adapt the localizer scan to the patient and the prerequisites of the specific scanner
4. To learn about organ protection, e.g. by local shielding, from CT exposure
5. To understand the influence of arm positioning on patient dose from CT
Radiation and pregnancy
Peter Vock and John Damilakis
1. To understand the factors that influence radiation dose to the conceptus
2. To learn the approach to imaging frequent clinical situations during pregnancy and how to optimize exposure
3. To learn the biological effects that radiation may have on the conceptus
4. To learn how to manage and counsel a pregnant patient in case of (a) intentional and (b) accidental exposure
5. To learn dose limits, regulations and recommendations concerning occupational exposure of pregnant women employed in diagnostic radiology.
To find out more about the other activities of EuroSafe Imaging, read this update on the EuroSafe Imaging Call for Action.