title: Patients' radiation doses during the implantation of stents in carotid, renal, iliac, femoral and popliteal arteries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to document the radiation doses to patients during the implantation of stents in various arteries and to discuss potential reasons for prolongation of radiological procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measurements of air kerma (Gy) and dose-area product (Gy cm²) (DAP) were carried out simultaneously on a sample of 345 patients, who underwent different interventional radiological procedures involving angioplasty with stenting of 73 carotid (21.5%), 22 renal (6.5%), 160 iliac (45%), 63 femoral (18.6%) and 27 popliteal (7.9%) arteries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest mean air kerma values for fluoroscopy and exposure were found for renal angioplasty (340 and 420 mGy, respectively). With regard to total DAP values, the highest were obtained for renal (148 Gy cm²) and iliac/The Inter-Society Consensus for Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease (TASC) II C (199 Gy cm²) stent implantation. The lowest values were for carotid (53 Gy cm²), iliac/TASC II A (6.3 Gy cm²) and femoral/TASC II A (53 Gy cm²) arteries. For 3.5% of the patients, the air kerma was between 1 and 1.5 Gy and for 1.5%, it was between 1.5 and 2 Gy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In procedures performed on the arteries of the lower limbs, a significantly higher dose was received by patients with TASC II C lesions. With regard to the number of stents implanted, the total DAP value was 50% higher for simultaneous three-stent implantation than for one or two stents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, K. Marcinkowski Medical University, Poland. divinus@tlen.pl
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Majewska
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Blaszak
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Juszkat
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frankiewicz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makalowski
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Majewski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000009:adverse effects; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors