Patient dose reduction during voiding cystourethrography.
Voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) is a commonly performed examination in a pediatric uroradiology practice. This article contains suggestions on how the radiation dose to a child from VCUG can be made "as low as reasonably achievable" (ALARA). The pediatric radiologist should consider the appropriateness of the clinical indication before performing VCUG and utilize radiation exposure techniques and parameters during VCUG to reduce radiation exposure to a child. The medical physicist and fluoroscope manufacturer can also work together to optimize a pulsed-fluoroscopy unit and further reduce the radiation exposure. Laboratory and clinical research is necessary to investigate methods that reduce radiation exposures during VCUG, and current research is presented here.
Ward
Valerie L
VL
Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA. valerie.ward@childrens.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D001822:Body Burden; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods*; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods; D014554:Urination; D014567:Urography / Q000009:adverse effects*