Fundamental evaluation of a novel upright shield to protect medical personnel from scattered radiation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography using a C-arm system

At a glance

Type of study

Original research, Phantom or simulation study

Who was studied

Phantom or simulation (no people), Gastroenterologists, Anesthesia staff

Where

Japan

Topics

Room shielding and protective devicesEye lens and cataractsDosimetry and monitoringThyroidBrain tumors

Summary based on

the full text

What it found

• A 40 cm upright shield on the C-arm reduced scattered radiation at the operator's eye level by 90%.

  Key figures: 90%

• Shield height was critical: raising it from 30 to 40 cm raised eye-level protection from 33% to 90%, attributed to closing the gap to the image detector.

  Key figures: 33% to 90%

• The head-side shield gave 86% protection at 100 cm (seated anesthesiologist eye level) but under 10% at 150 cm.

  Key figures: 86% at 100 cm; <10% at 150 cm

• Without shielding, operator eye-level scatter per kerma-area product (PKA) on the C-arm was 4.7 times that of an over-couch system with an ERCP-specific curtain; the 40 cm shield brought it below the curtain system.

  Key figures: 4.7 times

• The table-suspended under-curtain alone gave minimal eye-level shielding; the 20 cm shield gave 17% at 150 cm but 98% at 100 cm.

  Key figures: 17% at 150 cm; 98% at 100 cm

Limits to keep in mind

Phantom study with a survey meter measuring H*(10) rather than Hp(3) eye dose, fixed staff positions, single setup; the shield does not cover nurses and clinical staff movement was not assessed.

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