title: Dose performance evaluation of a charge coupled device and a flat-panel digital fluoroscopy system recently installed in an interventional cardiology laboratory.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the dose performance of a flat-panel (FP) and an image intensifier (II) charge coupled device (CCD) digital fluoroscopy X-ray systems newly installed in an Interventional Cardiology (IC) department. Filter entrance dose rate, detector dose rate (during fluoroscopy) and filter entrance dose per image were measured at 70 cm from the focus using 2 mm copper sheets to mimic normal size patient. Image quality was also evaluated. The patient dose survey included 277 patients, which had either a Coronary Angiography (CA) or a Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA). Dose area product (DAP), fluoroscopy time (T) and total number of frames (F) values were also collected. The results showed that both systems performed within international recommendations with the exception of higher cine radiation doses, stressing the fact that neither specific protocols of measurement nor reference values for digital equipment were provided by the official bodies.
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Department, Konstantopoulio Agia Olga Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tsapaki
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kottou
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kollaros
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dafnomili
authors.forename: Zinon
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kyriakidis
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Neofotistou
mesh_terms: D002309:Cardiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D004869:Equipment Safety / Q000379:methods*; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D014963:X-Ray Intensifying Screens; D014965:X-Rays