| Institution: | 1. Department of Radiology, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44195;2. Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas;3. Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;4. Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas;5. Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts;6. Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York;7. Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;8. Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington;9. Department of Radiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York |
| Abstract: | PurposeTo characterize the accuracy and consistency of fluoroscope dose index reporting and report rates of occupational radiation safety hardware availability and use, trainee participation in procedures, and optional hardware availability at pilot sites for the American College of Radiology (ACR) Fluoroscopy Dose Index Registry (DIR).Materials and MethodsNine institutions participated in the registry pilot, providing fluoroscopic technical and clinical practice data from 38 angiographic C-arm–type fluoroscopes. These data included measurements of the procedure table and mattress transmission factors and accuracy measurements of the reference-point air kerma (Ka,r) and air kerma–area product (PKA). The accuracy of the radiation dose indices were analyzed for variation over time by 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Sites also self-reported information on availability and use of radiation safety hardware, hardware configuration of fluoroscopes, and trainee participation in procedures.ResultsAll Ka,r and PKA measurements were within the ±35% regulatory limit on accuracy. The mean absolute difference between correction factors for a given system in fluoroscopic and acquisition mode was 0.03 (95% confidence interval, 0.03–0.03). For the 28 fluoroscopic imaging planes that provided data for 3 time points, ANOVA yielded an F value of 0.134 with an F-critical value of 3.109 (P = .875).ConclusionsThis publication provides the technical and clinical framework pertaining to the ACR Fluoroscopy DIR pilot and offers necessary context for future analysis of the clinical procedure radiation-dose data collected. |
