Ionizing radiation. The question of responsible use: Pandora's box revisited.
For over one hundred years, ionizing radiation has assisted in medical diagnostics. Recently, there have been reports of radiation injury in patients undergoing fluoroscopic procedures. It is time to review some of the risks of ionizing radiation as well as some of our practices at the University Hospital of West Indies (UHWI). In this review, we discuss the relative risks associated with common radiological examinations as well as explore the relative merits of various clinical protocols for the radiological investigation of common diseases seen at the UHWI.
Soares
D P
DP
Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica. dpsoares@cwjamaica.com
Gilligan
P
P
D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D012306:Risk