title: Estimation of children's radiation dose from cardiac catheterisations, performed for the diagnosis or the treatment of a congenital heart disease using TLD dosimetry and Monte Carlo simulation.
abstract: Entrance surface radiation doses were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters for 98 children who were referred to a cardiology department for the diagnosis or the treatment of a congenital heart disease. Additionally, all the radiographic parameters were recorded and Monte Carlo simulations were performed for the estimation of entrance surface dose to effective dose conversion factors, in order to further calculate the effective dose for each child. For diagnostic catheterisations the values ranged from 0.16 to 14.44 mSv, with average 3.71 mSv, and for therapeutic catheterisations the values ranged from 0.38 to 25.01 mSv, with average value 5 mSv. Effective doses were estimated for diagnostic procedures and interventional procedures performed for the treatment of five different heart diseases: (a) atrial septal defect (ASD), (b) ventricular septal defect (VSD), (c) patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), (d) aorta coarctation and (e) pulmonary stenosis. The high levels of radiation exposure are, however, balanced with the advantages of cardiac catheterisations such as the avoidance of surgical closure and the necessity of shorter or even no hospitalisation.
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Department, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Street, Athens 11527, Greece.
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Yakoumakis
authors.forename: G I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Gialousis
authors.forename: Despina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Papadopoulou
authors.forename: Triantafillia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Makri
authors.forename: Zografia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pappouli
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yakoumakis
authors.forename: Panayotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Papagiannis
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Georgiou
mesh_terms: D001822:Body Burden; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002648:Child; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011859:Radiography; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry / Q000379:methods*; D014965:X-Rays