Assessment of occupational dose during abdominal fluoroscopic-guided procedures in Thailand using nanoDot OSL dosimeters

Abstract

Interventional radiology is one of the most widely used treatment options for abdominal abnormality. Due to new dose limitations, radiation is a hazard that needs to be considered when choosing the international treatment technique. The aim of this study was to measure the effective/equivalent doses and to investigate the associated factors correlating with the doses during Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) and Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage (PTBD) for radiologists, technologists and nurses involved with the treatment. This prospective study reports occupational dose per procedure of 57 cases (TACE = 42, PTBD = 15) in a Thailand hospital spanning one year. All staff included in this study wore 30 nanoDot Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeter for measuring doses at 7 bodily locations. The average dose area product and cumulative doses was 151.3 Gy·cm2, 1,185.1 mGy during TACE and 21.3 Gy·cm2, 212.2 mGy during PTBD. The radiation exposure of the radiologists was significantly higher than technologists and nurses (p-value < 0.05). The lead protection equipment was a dose-reducing factor which decreased the dose up to 93%. The present study also contributes to the establishment of an individual dose location report and identifies significant correlations between associated factors and dose values. The left hand (1.2 mSv) and the left eye (1.1 mSv) showed maximum doses during the PTBD procedure. The exceeded dose over the limitation was observed in the left eye. We concluded that the dose feedback was able to increase awareness of the occupation staff. So, dose monitoring, updating education and regular training could be applied simply and effectively to improve skills, while reducing the occupational dose.