Radiochromic films for improved evaluation of patient dose in liver interventions.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate a method for evaluation of the maximum skin dose (MSD) of radiation in patients undergoing interventional radiology procedures in the liver.


METHODS
Transarterial chemoembolization, transarterial embolization, portal vein embolization, and biliary interventions were the procedures considered in this study. Ninety procedures in 70 patients were studied. The complexity of the biliary interventions was taken into account during the analysis. The MSD was measured with use of GAF chromic XR type R films, whereas the dose-area product (DAP) was measured by a transmission chamber.


RESULTS
The MSD was measured in a group of 19 patients. The coefficient of the interpolation line between the skin dose and the DAP (0.0051 cm(-2)) was determined. An approximated value of MSD from the DAP for the remaining 71 procedures was estimated by means of an interpolation line. The mean MSD in the endovascular procedures was 4.4 Gy; for the three different levels of complexity of the biliary procedures, the mean MSDs were 0.4, 1.2, and 3 Gy, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Radiochromic films are an easy-to-use and efficient method for measuring skin entrance radiation dose and have the advantage of providing information on the MSD as well as the distribution of radiation to the skin. In light of these results, the authors suggest recording the dose for biliary and endovascular procedures as indicated by the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Mantovani
Laura
L
Departments of Medical Physics, University of Pavia, Italy.
D'Ercole
Loredana
L
Lisciandro
Francesco
F
Quaretti
Pietro
P
Azzaretti
Andrea
A
Rodolico
Giuseppe
G
Saluzzo
Cesare Massa
CM
Spinazzola
Angelo
A
Di Maria
Federico
F
Ottolenghi
Andrea
A
Thyrion
Federico Zappoli
FZ
Andreucci
Luciano
L