title: Radiation protection system for interventional procedures of the upper extremity: evaluation in a phantom model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To design a radiation protection system for interventional procedures of the upper extremity and to evaluate the effectiveness of the system.
  
  
  METHODS
  The radiation protection system consisted of an image intensifier (I-I) hood and x-ray tube cover. The I-I hood encircled the I-I to protect against scattered radiation from the patient's upper extremity and the table. The I-I hood consisted of four components: a device for attaching the hoods, two acrylate hoods with an 0.50-mm Pb equivalent, and a lead curtain hood with a 0.35-mm Pb equivalent. The x-ray tube cover was constructed of lead curtain to protect against backscattering radiation from the catheter table. An extremity phantom was used to measure the scattered radiation around the angiographic apparatus. The scattering dose rates were measured with an ionization dosimeter with and without a radiation protection system. The heights of the measuring points from the floor were 50 cm (operator's lower limbs), 100 cm (operator's abdomen), and 150 cm (operator's head/neck).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The dose rates were reduced most with the combination of the I-I hood and the x-ray tube cover. The x-ray tube cover was effective in reducing scattering when it was set close to the table and the phantom. The maximum percentage decreases in dose rates by the radiation protection system were 99% at 50 cm, 73% at 100 cm, and 100% at 150 cm. Therefore, at 50 cm and 150 cm, the high-dose-rate area around the angiographic apparatus was reduced almost completely by the radiation protection system.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The radiation protection system for interventional procedures of the upper extremity was effective in reducing scattered radiation around the angiographic apparatus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan. haku@sanyudo.or.jp
authors.forename: Tamami
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haku
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosoya
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Moriyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishina
mesh_terms: D000792:Angiography; D001132:Arm / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D012542:Scattering, Radiation